Potential prognostic marker ubiquitin carboxyl-terminal hydrolase-L1 does not predict patient survival in non-small cell lung carcinoma

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Ubiquitin Carboxyl-Terminal Hydrolase-L1 (UCH-L1) is a deubiquitinating enzyme that is highly expressed throughout the central and peripheral nervous system and in cells of the diffuse neuroendocrine system. Aberrant function of UCH-L1 has been associated with neurological disorders such as Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease. Moreover, UCH-L1 exhibits a variable expression pattern in cancer, acting either as a tumour suppressor or promoter, depending on the type of cancer. In non-small cell lung carcinoma primary tumour samples, UCH-L1 is highly expressed and is associated with an advanced tumour stage. This suggests UCH-L1 may be involved in oncogenic transformation and tumour invasion in NSCLC. However, the functional significance of UCH-L1 in the progression of NSCLC is unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of UCH-L1 using NSCLC cell line models and to determine if it is clinically relevant as a prognostic marker for advanced stage disease.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>UCH-L1 expression in NSCLC cell lines H838 and H157 was modulated by siRNA-knockdown, and the phenotypic changes were assessed by flow cytometry, haematoxylin & eosin (H&E) staining and poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) cleavage. Metastatic potential was measured by the presence of phosphorylated myosin light chain (MLC2). Tumour microarrays were examined immunohistochemically for UCH-L1 expression. Kaplan-Meier curves were generated using UCH-L1 expression levels and patient survival data extracted from Gene Expression Omnibus data files.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Expression of UCH-L1 was decreased by siRNA in both cell lines, resulting in increased cell death in H838 adenocarcinoma cells but not in the H157 squamous cell line. However, metastatic potential was reduced in H157 cells. Immunohistochemical staining of UCH-L1 in patient tumours confirmed it was preferentially expressed in squamous cell carcinoma rather than adenocarcinoma. However the Kaplan-Meier curves generated showed no correlation between UCH-L1 expression levels and patient outcome.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Although UCH-L1 appears to be involved in carcinogenic processes in NSCLC cell lines, the absence of correlation with patient survival indicates that caution is required in the use of UCH-L1 as a potential prognostic marker for advanced stage and metastasis in lung carcinoma.</p

A common polymorphism in the oxygen-dependent degradation (ODD) domain of hypoxia inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) does not impair Pro-564 hydroxylation

BACKGROUND: The hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF) transcription complex, which is activated by low oxygen tension, controls a diverse range of cellular processes including angiogenesis and erythropoiesis. Under normoxic conditions, the α subunit of HIF is rapidly degraded in a manner dependent on hydroxylation of two conserved proline residues at positions 402 and 564 in HIF-1α in the oxygen-dependent degradation (ODD) domain. This allows subsequent recognition by the von Hippel-Lindau (VHL) tumor suppressor protein, which targets HIF for degradation by the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway. Under hypoxic conditions, prolyl hydroxylation of HIF is inhibited, allowing it to escape VHL-mediated degradation. The transcriptional regulation of the erythropoietin gene by HIF raises the possibility that HIF may play a role in disorders of erythropoiesis, such as idiopathic erythrocytosis (IE). RESULTS: Patients with IE were screened for changes in the HIF-1α coding sequence, and a change in the ODD domain that converts Pro-582 to Ser was identified in several patients. This same change, however, was also detected at a significant frequency, 0.073, in unaffected controls compared to 0.109 in the IE patient group. In vitro hydroxylation assays examining this amino acid change failed to reveal a discernible effect on HIF hydroxylation at Pro-564. CONCLUSION: The Pro582Ser change represents a common polymorphism of HIF-1α that does not impair HIF-1α prolyl hydroxylation. Although the Pro582Ser polymorphism is located in the ODD domain of HIF-1α it does not diminish the association of HIF-1α with VHL. Thus, it is unlikely that this polymorphism accounts for the erythrocytosis in the group of IE patients studied

Tibetan PHD2, an allele with loss-of-function properties

Tibetans have adapted to the chronic hypoxia of high altitude and display a distinctive suite of physiologic adaptations, including augmented hypoxic ventilatory response and resistance to pulmonary hypertension. Genome-wide studies have consistently identified compelling genetic signatures of natural selection in two genes of the Hypoxia Inducible Factor pathway, PHD2 and HIF2A. The product of the former induces the degradation of the product of the latter. Key issues regarding Tibetan PHD2 are whether it is a gain-of-function or loss-of-function allele, and how it might contribute to high-altitude adaptation. Tibetan PHD2 possesses two amino acid changes, D4E and C127S. We previously showed that in vitro, Tibetan PHD2 is defective in its interaction with p23, a cochaperone of the HSP90 pathway, and we proposed that Tibetan PHD2 is a loss-of-function allele. Here, we report that additional PHD2 mutations at or near Asp-4 or Cys-127 impair interaction with p23 in vitro. We find that mice with the Tibetan Phd2 allele display augmented hypoxic ventilatory response, supporting this loss-of-function proposal. This is phenocopied by mice with a mutation in p23 that abrogates the PHD2:p23 interaction. Hif2a haploinsufficiency, but not the Tibetan Phd2 allele, ameliorates hypoxia-induced increases in right ventricular systolic pressure. The Tibetan Phd2 allele is not associated with hemoglobin levels in mice. We propose that Tibetans possess genetic alterations that both activate and inhibit selective outputs of the HIF pathway to facilitate successful adaptation to the chronic hypoxia of high altitude

Mutation of von Hippel–Lindau Tumour Suppressor and Human Cardiopulmonary Physiology

BACKGROUND: The von Hippel–Lindau tumour suppressor protein–hypoxia-inducible factor (VHL–HIF) pathway has attracted widespread medical interest as a transcriptional system controlling cellular responses to hypoxia, yet insights into its role in systemic human physiology remain limited. Chuvash polycythaemia has recently been defined as a new form of VHL-associated disease, distinct from the classical VHL-associated inherited cancer syndrome, in which germline homozygosity for a hypomorphic VHL allele causes a generalised abnormality in VHL–HIF signalling. Affected individuals thus provide a unique opportunity to explore the integrative physiology of this signalling pathway. This study investigated patients with Chuvash polycythaemia in order to analyse the role of the VHL–HIF pathway in systemic human cardiopulmonary physiology. METHODS AND FINDINGS: Twelve participants, three with Chuvash polycythaemia and nine controls, were studied at baseline and during hypoxia. Participants breathed through a mouthpiece, and pulmonary ventilation was measured while pulmonary vascular tone was assessed echocardiographically. Individuals with Chuvash polycythaemia were found to have striking abnormalities in respiratory and pulmonary vascular regulation. Basal ventilation and pulmonary vascular tone were elevated, and ventilatory, pulmonary vasoconstrictive, and heart rate responses to acute hypoxia were greatly increased. CONCLUSIONS: The features observed in this small group of patients with Chuvash polycythaemia are highly characteristic of those associated with acclimatisation to the hypoxia of high altitude. More generally, the phenotype associated with Chuvash polycythaemia demonstrates that VHL plays a major role in the underlying calibration and homeostasis of the respiratory and cardiovascular systems, most likely through its central role in the regulation of HIF