MAP4K3 mediates amino acid-dependent regulation of autophagy via phosphorylation of TFEB

Autophagy is the major cellular pathway by which macromolecules are degraded, and amino acid depletion powerfully activates autophagy. MAP4K3, or germinal-center kinase-like kinase, is required for robust cell growth in response to amino acids, but the basis for MAP4K3 regulation of cellular metabolic disposition remains unknown. Here we identify MAP4K3 as an amino acid-dependent regulator of autophagy through its phosphorylation of transcription factor EB (TFEB), a transcriptional activator of autophagy, and through amino acid starvation-dependent lysosomal localization of MAP4K3. We document that MAP4K3 physically interacts with TFEB and MAP4K3 inhibition is sufficient for TFEB nuclear localization, target gene transactivation, and autophagy, even when mTORC1 is activated. Moreover, MAP4K3 serine 3 phosphorylation of TFEB is required for TFEB interaction with mTORC1-Rag GTPase-Ragulator complex and TFEB cytosolic sequestration. Our results uncover a role for MAP4K3 in the control of autophagy and reveal MAP4K3 as a central node in nutrient-sensing regulation

c-Abl phosphorylates Dok1 to promote filopodia during cell spreading

Filopodia are dynamic F-actin structures that cells use to explore their environment. c-Abl tyrosine kinase promotes filopodia during cell spreading through an unknown mechanism that does not require Cdc42 activity. Using an unbiased approach, we identified Dok1 as a specific c-Abl substrate in spreading fibroblasts. When activated by cell adhesion, c-Abl phosphorylates Y361 of Dok1, promoting its association with the Src homology 2 domain (SH2)/SH3 adaptor protein Nck. Each signaling component was critical for filopodia formation during cell spreading, as evidenced by the finding that mouse fibroblasts lacking c-Abl, Dok1, or Nck had fewer filopodia than cells reexpressing the product of the disrupted gene. Dok1 and c-Abl stimulated filopodia in a mutually interdependent manner, indicating that they function in the same signaling pathway. Dok1 and c-Abl were both detected in filopodia of spreading cells, and therefore may act locally to modulate actin. Our data suggest a novel pathway by which c-Abl transduces signals to the actin cytoskeleton through phosphorylating Dok1 Y361 and recruiting Nck

Targeting LIF-mediated paracrine interaction for pancreatic cancer therapy and monitoring.

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) has a dismal prognosis largely owing to inefficient diagnosis and tenacious drug resistance. Activation of pancreatic stellate cells (PSCs) and consequent development of dense stroma are prominent features accounting for this aggressive biology1,2. The reciprocal interplay between PSCs and pancreatic cancer cells (PCCs) not only enhances tumour progression and metastasis but also sustains their own activation, facilitating a vicious cycle to exacerbate tumorigenesis and drug resistance3-7. Furthermore, PSC activation occurs very early during PDAC tumorigenesis8-10, and activated PSCs comprise a substantial fraction of the tumour mass, providing a rich source of readily detectable factors. Therefore, we hypothesized that the communication between PSCs and PCCs could be an exploitable target to develop effective strategies for PDAC therapy and diagnosis. Here, starting with a systematic proteomic investigation of secreted disease mediators and underlying molecular mechanisms, we reveal that leukaemia inhibitory factor (LIF) is a key paracrine factor from activated PSCs acting on cancer cells. Both pharmacologic LIF blockade and genetic Lifr deletion markedly slow tumour progression and augment the efficacy of chemotherapy to prolong survival of PDAC mouse models, mainly by modulating cancer cell differentiation and epithelial-mesenchymal transition status. Moreover, in both mouse models and human PDAC, aberrant production of LIF in the pancreas is restricted to pathological conditions and correlates with PDAC pathogenesis, and changes in the levels of circulating LIF correlate well with tumour response to therapy. Collectively, these findings reveal a function of LIF in PDAC tumorigenesis, and suggest its translational potential as an attractive therapeutic target and circulating marker. Our studies underscore how a better understanding of cell-cell communication within the tumour microenvironment can suggest novel strategies for cancer therapy

An SH2-domain-containing kinase negatively regulates the phosphatidylinositol-3 kinase pathway

SHK1 is a novel dual-specificity kinase that contains an SH2 domain in its C-terminal region. We demonstrate that SHK1 is required for proper chemotaxis and phagocytosis. Mutant shk1 null cells lack polarity, move very slowly, and exhibit an elevated and temporally extended chemoattractant-mediated activation of the kinase Akt/PKB. GFP fusions of the PH domain of Akt/PKB or the PH-domain-containing protein CRAC, which become transiently associated with the plasma membrane after a global stimulation with a chemoattractant, remain associated with the plasma membrane for an extended period of time in shk1 null cells. These results suggest that SHK1 is a negative regulator of the PI3K (phosphatidylinositol-3 kinase) pathway. Furthermore, when a chemoattractant gradient is applied to a wild-type cell, these PH-domain-containing proteins and the F-actin-binding protein coronin localize to its leading edge, but in an shk1 null cell they become randomly associated with the plasma membrane and cortex, irrespective of the direction of the chemoattractant gradient, suggesting that SHK1 is required for the proper spatiotemporal control of F-actin levels in chemotaxing cells. Consistent with such functions, SHK1 is localized at the plasma membrane/cortex, and we show that its SH2 domain is required for this localization and the proper function of SHK1

Tyrosine phosphorylation of histone H2A by CK2 regulates transcriptional elongation.

Post-translational histone modifications have a critical role in regulating transcription, the cell cycle, DNA replication and DNA damage repair. The identification of new histone modifications critical for transcriptional regulation at initiation, elongation or termination is of particular interest. Here we report a new layer of regulation in transcriptional elongation that is conserved from yeast to mammals. This regulation is based on the phosphorylation of a highly conserved tyrosine residue, Tyr 57, in histone H2A and is mediated by the unsuspected tyrosine kinase activity of casein kinase 2 (CK2). Mutation of Tyr 57 in H2A in yeast or inhibition of CK2 activity impairs transcriptional elongation in yeast as well as in mammalian cells. Genome-wide binding analysis reveals that CK2α, the catalytic subunit of CK2, binds across RNA-polymerase-II-transcribed coding genes and active enhancers. Mutation of Tyr 57 causes a loss of H2B mono-ubiquitination as well as H3K4me3 and H3K79me3, histone marks associated with active transcription. Mechanistically, both CK2 inhibition and the H2A(Y57F) mutation enhance H2B deubiquitination activity of the Spt-Ada-Gcn5 acetyltransferase (SAGA) complex, suggesting a critical role of this phosphorylation in coordinating the activity of the SAGA complex during transcription. Together, these results identify a new component of regulation in transcriptional elongation based on CK2-dependent tyrosine phosphorylation of the globular domain of H2A

c-Abl phosphorylates Dok1 to promote filopodia during cell spreading.

Filopodia are dynamic F-actin structures that cells use to explore their environment. c-Abl tyrosine kinase promotes filopodia during cell spreading through an unknown mechanism that does not require Cdc42 activity. Using an unbiased approach, we identified Dok1 as a specific c-Abl substrate in spreading fibroblasts. When activated by cell adhesion, c-Abl phosphorylates Y361 of Dok1, promoting its association with the Src homology 2 domain (SH2)/SH3 adaptor protein Nck. Each signaling component was critical for filopodia formation during cell spreading, as evidenced by the finding that mouse fibroblasts lacking c-Abl, Dok1, or Nck had fewer filopodia than cells reexpressing the product of the disrupted gene. Dok1 and c-Abl stimulated filopodia in a mutually interdependent manner, indicating that they function in the same signaling pathway. Dok1 and c-Abl were both detected in filopodia of spreading cells, and therefore may act locally to modulate actin. Our data suggest a novel pathway by which c-Abl transduces signals to the actin cytoskeleton through phosphorylating Dok1 Y361 and recruiting Nck

MAP4K3 inhibits Sirtuin-1 to repress the LKB1-AMPK pathway to promote amino acid-dependent activation of the mTORC1 complex.

mTORC1 is the key rheostat controlling the cellular metabolic state. Of the various inputs to mTORC1, the most potent effector of intracellular nutrient status is amino acid supply. Despite an established role for MAP4K3 in promoting mTORC1 activation in the presence of amino acids, the signaling pathway by which MAP4K3 controls mTORC1 activation remains unknown. Here, we examined the process of MAP4K3 regulation of mTORC1 and found that MAP4K3 represses the LKB1-AMPK pathway to achieve robust mTORC1 activation. When we sought the regulatory link between MAP4K3 and LKB1 inhibition, we discovered that MAP4K3 physically interacts with the master nutrient regulatory factor sirtuin-1 (SIRT1) and phosphorylates SIRT1 to repress LKB1 activation. Our results reveal the existence of a novel signaling pathway linking amino acid satiety with MAP4K3-dependent suppression of SIRT1 to inactivate the repressive LKB1-AMPK pathway and thereby potently activate the mTORC1 complex to dictate the metabolic disposition of the cell