Evidence that Proteasome-Dependent Degradation of the Retinoblastoma Protein in Cells Lacking A-Type Lamins Occurs Independently of Gankyrin and MDM2

A-type lamins, predominantly lamins A and C, are nuclear intermediate filaments believed to act as scaffolds for assembly of transcription factors. Lamin A/C is necessary for the retinoblastoma protein (pRB) stabilization through unknown mechanism(s). Two oncoproteins, gankyrin and MDM2, are known to promote pRB degradation in other contexts. Consequently, we tested the hypothesis that gankyrin and/or MDM2 are required for enhanced pRB degradation in Lmna-/- fibroblasts. Principal Findings. To determine if gankyrin promotes pRB destabilization in the absence of lamin A/C, we first analyzed its protein levels in Lmna-/- fibroblasts. Both gankyrin mRNA levels and protein levels are increased in these cells, leading us to further investigate its role in pRB degradation. Consistent with prior reports, overexpression of gankyrin in Lmna+/+ cells destabilizes pRB. This decrease is functionally significant, since gankyrin overexpressing cells are resistant to p16(ink4a)-mediated cell cycle arrest. These findings suggest that lamin A-mediated degradation of pRB would be gankyrin-dependent. However, effective RNAi-enforced reduction of gankyrin expression in Lmna-/- cells was insufficient to restore pRB stability. To test the importance of MDM2, we disrupted the MDM2-pRB interaction by transfecting Lmna-/- cells with p14(arf). p14(arf) expression was also insufficient to stabilize pRB or confer cell cycle arrest, suggesting that MDM2 also does not mediate pRB degradation in Lmna-/- cells.Our findings suggest that pRB degradation in Lmna-/- cells occurs by gankyrin and MDM2-independent mechanisms, leading us to propose the existence of a third proteasome-dependent pathway for pRB degradation. Two findings from this study also increase the likelihood that lamin A/C functions as a tumor suppressor. First, protein levels of the oncoprotein gankyrin are elevated in Lmna-/- fibroblasts. Second, Lmna-/- cells are refractory to p14(arf)-mediated cell cycle arrest, as was previously shown with p16(ink4a). Potential roles of lamin A/C in the suppression of tumorigenesis are discussed

Lamin B1 mapping reveals the existence of dynamic and functional euchromatin lamin B1 domains

Lamins (A/C and B) are major constituents of the nuclear lamina (NL). Structurally conserved lamina-associated domains (LADs) are formed by genomic regions that contact the NL. Lamins are also found in the nucleoplasm, with a yet unknown function. Here we map the genome-wide localization of lamin B1 in an euchromatin-enriched fraction of the mouse genome and follow its dynamics during the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT). Lamin B1 associates with actively expressed and open euchromatin regions, forming dynamic euchromatin lamin B1-associated domains (eLADs) of about 0.3 Mb. Hi-C data link eLADs to the 3D organization of the mouse genome during EMT and correlate lamin B1 enrichment at topologically associating domain (TAD) borders with increased border strength. Having reduced levels of lamin B1 alters the EMT transcriptional signature and compromises the acquisition of mesenchymal traits. Thus, during EMT, the process of genome reorganization in mouse involves dynamic changes in eLADsThis work was supported by grants from the Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII) FIS/FEDER (PI15/00396; CPII14/0006), Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (MINECO) (SAF2013-40922-R1; FPU14/0407; BFU2016-75008-P), Agencia Estatal de Investigación (AEI) and Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional-FEDER (SAF2016-76461-R), Generalitat de Catalunya (2014 SGR 32), Fundació FERO, Fundació La Marató TV3, and La Caixa Foundation. We also thank the Advanced Light Microscopy Unit at the CRG for their assistance and the Cellex Foundation for providing research facilities and equipment. M.A.M.-R. acknowledges funding from the European Research Council under the 7th Framework Program (FP7/2010-2015, ERC grant agreement 609989), the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program (agreement 676556), the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (BFU2013-47736-P), and the Centro de Excelencia Severo Ochoa 2013-2017 (SEV-2012-0208) to the CR

Knock-down of methyl CpG-binding protein 2 (MeCP2) causes alterations in cell proliferation and nuclear lamins expression in mammalian cells

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>MeCP2 (CpG-binding protein 2) is a nuclear multifunctional protein involved in several cellular processes, like large-scale chromatin reorganization and architecture, and transcriptional regulation. In recent years, a non-neuronal role for MeCP2 has emerged in cell growth and proliferation. Mutations in the MeCP2 gene have been reported to determine growth disadvantages in cultured lymphocyte cells, and its functional ablation suppresses cell growth in glial cells and proliferation in mesenchymal stem cells and prostate cancer cells. MeCP2 interacts with lamin B receptor (LBR) and with Heterochromatin Protein 1 (HP1) at the nuclear envelope (NE), suggesting that it could be part of complexes involved in attracting heterochromatin at the nuclear periphery and in mediating gene silencing. The nuclear lamins, major components of the lamina, have a role in maintaining NE integrity, in orchestrating mitosis, in DNA replication and transcription, in regulation of mitosis and apoptosis and in providing anchoring sites for chromatin domains.</p> <p>In this work, we inferred that MeCP2 might have a role in nuclear envelope stability, thereby affecting the proliferation pattern of highly proliferating systems.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>By performing knock-down (KD) of MeCP2 in normal murine (NIH-3 T3) and in human prostate transformed cells (PC-3 and LNCaP), we observed a strong proliferation decrease and a defect in the cell cycle progression, with accumulation of cells in S/G₂M, without triggering a strong apoptotic and senescent phenotype. In these cells, KD of MeCP2 evidenced a considerable decrease of the levels of lamin A, lamin C, lamin B1 and LBR proteins. Moreover, by confocal analysis we confirmed the reduction of lamin A levels, but we also observed an alteration in the shape of the nuclear lamina and an irregular nuclear rim.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Our results that indicate reduced levels of NE components, are consistent with a hypothesis that the deficiency of MeCP2 might cause the lack of a key “bridge” function that links the peripheral heterochromatin to the NE, thereby causing an incorrect assembly of the NE itself, together with a decreased cell proliferation and viability.</p