Mule Regulates the Intestinal Stem Cell Niche via the Wnt Pathway and Targets EphB3 for Proteasomal and Lysosomal Degradation

The E3 ubiquitin ligase Mule is often overexpressed in human colorectal cancers, but its role in gut tumorigenesis is unknown. Here, we show in vivo that Mule controls murine intestinal stem and progenitor cell proliferation by modulating Wnt signaling via c-Myc. Mule also regulates protein levels of the receptor tyrosine kinase EphB3 by targeting it for proteasomal and lysosomal degradation. In the intestine, EphB/ephrinB interactions position cells along the crypt-villus axis and compartmentalize incipient colorectal tumors. Our study thus unveils an important new avenue by which Mule acts as an intestinal tumor suppressor by regulation of the intestinal stem cell niche

The Alternative Splice Variant of Protein Tyrosine Kinase 6 Negatively Regulates Growth and Enhances PTK6-Mediated Inhibition of β-Catenin

Protein tyrosine kinase 6 (PTK6), also called breast tumor kinase (BRK), is expressed in epithelial cells of various tissues including the prostate. Previously it was shown that PTK6 is localized to epithelial cell nuclei in normal prostate, but becomes cytoplasmic in human prostate tumors. PTK6 is also primarily cytoplasmic in the PC3 prostate adenocarcinoma cell line. Sequencing revealed expression of wild type full-length PTK6 transcripts in addition to an alternative transcript lacking exon 2 in PC3 cells. The alternative transcript encodes a 134 amino acid protein, referred to here as ALT-PTK6, which shares the first 77 amino acid residues including the SH3 domain with full length PTK6. RT-PCR was used to show that ALT-PTK6 is coexpressed with full length PTK6 in established human prostate and colon cell lines, as well as in primary cell lines derived from human prostate tissue and tumors. Although interaction between full-length PTK6 and ALT-PTK6 was not detected, ALT-PTK6 associates with the known PTK6 substrates Sam68 and β-catenin in GST pull-down assays. Coexpression of PTK6 and ALT-PTK6 led to suppression of PTK6 activity and reduced association of PTK6 with tyrosine phosphorylated proteins. While ALT-PTK6 alone did not influence β-catenin/TCF transcriptional activity in a luciferase reporter assay, it enhanced PTK6-mediated inhibition of β-catenin/TCF transcription by promoting PTK6 nuclear functions. Ectopic expression of ALT-PTK6 led to reduced expression of the β-catenin/TCF targets Cyclin D1 and c-Myc in PC3 cells. Expression of tetracycline-inducible ALT-PTK6 blocked the proliferation and colony formation of PC3 cells. Our findings suggest that ALT-PTK6 is able to negatively regulate growth and modulate PTK6 activity, protein-protein associations and/or subcellular localization. Fully understanding functions of ALT-PTK6 and its impact on PTK6 signaling will be critical for development of therapeutic strategies that target PTK6 in cancer

Choline acetyltransferase-expressing T cells are required to control chronic viral infection.

peer reviewedAlthough widely studied as a neurotransmitter, T cell-derived acetylcholine (ACh) has recently been reported to play an important role in regulating immunity. However, the role of lymphocyte-derived ACh in viral infection is unknown. Here, we show that the enzyme choline acetyltransferase (ChAT), which catalyzes the rate-limiting step of ACh production, is robustly induced in both CD4+ and CD8+ T cells during lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV) infection in an IL-21-dependent manner. Deletion of Chat within the T cell compartment in mice ablated vasodilation in response to infection, impaired the migration of antiviral T cells into infected tissues, and ultimately compromised the control of chronic LCMV clone 13 infection. Our results reveal a genetic proof of function for ChAT in T cells during viral infection and identify a pathway of T cell migration that sustains antiviral immunity

Molecular mechanisms of cell death: recommendations of the Nomenclature Committee on Cell Death 2018.

Over the past decade, the Nomenclature Committee on Cell Death (NCCD) has formulated guidelines for the definition and interpretation of cell death from morphological, biochemical, and functional perspectives. Since the field continues to expand and novel mechanisms that orchestrate multiple cell death pathways are unveiled, we propose an updated classification of cell death subroutines focusing on mechanistic and essential (as opposed to correlative and dispensable) aspects of the process. As we provide molecularly oriented definitions of terms including intrinsic apoptosis, extrinsic apoptosis, mitochondrial permeability transition (MPT)-driven necrosis, necroptosis, ferroptosis, pyroptosis, parthanatos, entotic cell death, NETotic cell death, lysosome-dependent cell death, autophagy-dependent cell death, immunogenic cell death, cellular senescence, and mitotic catastrophe, we discuss the utility of neologisms that refer to highly specialized instances of these processes. The mission of the NCCD is to provide a widely accepted nomenclature on cell death in support of the continued development of the field

DDB2, an Essential Mediator of Premature Senescence▿

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) is critical for premature senescence, a process significant in tumor suppression and cancer therapy. Here, we reveal a novel function of the nucleotide excision repair protein DDB2 in the accumulation of ROS in a manner that is essential for premature senescence. DDB2-deficient cells fail to undergo premature senescence induced by culture shock, exogenous oxidative stress, oncogenic stress, or DNA damage. These cells do not accumulate ROS following DNA damage. The lack of ROS accumulation in DDB2 deficiency results from high-level expression of the antioxidant genes in vitro and in vivo. DDB2 represses antioxidant genes by recruiting Cul4A and Suv39h and by increasing histone-H3K9 trimethylation. Moreover, expression of DDB2 also is induced by ROS. Together, our results show that, upon oxidative stress, DDB2 functions in a positive feedback loop by repressing the antioxidant genes to cause persistent accumulation of ROS and induce premature senescence

ARF stimulates XPC to trigger nucleotide excision repair by regulating the repressor complex of E2F4

The tumour suppressor ARF (alternative reading frame), which is mutated or silenced in various tumours, has a crucial role in tumour surveillance to suppress unwarranted cell growth and proliferation. ARF has also been linked to the DNA-damage-induced response of p53 because of its ability to inhibit murine double minute 2 (MDM2). Here, however, we provide genetic evidence for a role of ARF in nucleotide excision repair (NER) that is independent of p53. Cells lacking ARF are deficient in NER. Expression of ARF restores the repair activity, which coincides with increased expression of the damaged-DNA recognition protein xeroderma pigmentosum, complementation group C (XPC). We provide evidence that, by disrupting the interaction between E2F transcription factor 4 (E2F4) and DRTF polypeptide 1 (DP1), ARF reduces the interaction of the E2F4–p130 repressor complex with the promoter of XPC to ensure high-level expression of XPC. Together, our results point to an important ‘care-taker'-type tumour-suppression function for ARF in NER through the increased expression of XPC

Ablating the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) in CD11c+ cells perturbs intestinal epithelium development and intestinal immunity

Diet and microbiome derived indole derivatives are known to activate the ligand induced transcription factor, the Aryl hydrocarbon Receptor (AhR). While the current understanding of AhR biology has confirmed its role in mucosal lymphocytes, its function in intestinal antigen presenting cells (APCs) is poorly understood. Here, we report that Cre-mediated deletion of AhR in CD11c-expressing cells in C57/BL6 mice is associated with altered intestinal epithelial morphogenesis in vivo. Moreover, when co-cultured with AhR-deficient DCs ex vivo, intestinal organoids showed reduced SRY (sex determining region Y)-box 9 and increased Mucin 2 expression, which correlates with reduced Paneth cells and increased goblet cell differentiation, similar to the data obtained in vivo. Further, characterization of intestinal APC subsets, devoid of AhR, revealed an expression pattern associated with aberrant intrinsic Wnt pathway regulation. At a functional level, the loss of AhR in APCs resulted in a dysfunctional epithelial barrier, associated with a more aggressive chemically induced colitis compared to wild type animals. Our results are consistent with a model whereby the AhR signalling pathway may participate in the regulation of innate immunity through intestinal epithelium development and mucosal immunity.Published versio