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Biology subjects

Higashiyama, S.

Publications and source records attributed to Higashiyama, S..

5 recordsLinked to original sources

A PI(3,5)P2/ESCRT-III axis terminates STING signalling by facilitating TSG101-mediated lysosomal microautophagy

Stimulator of interferon genes (STING) is critical for the type I interferon response to pathogen- or self-derived cytosolic DNA. STING is degraded by the endosomal sorting complexes required for transport (ESCRT)-driven lysosomal microautophagy (LMA), the impairment of which leads to sustained inflammatory responses. It has been unknown how ESCRT targets STING directly to lysosomes. Here, through kinase inhibitor screening and knockdown experiments of all the individual components of ESCRT, we show that STING degradation requires PIKfyve (a lipid kinase that generates PI(3,5)P2) and CHMP4B/C (components of ESCRT-III subcomplex). Knockdown of Pikfyve or Chmp4b/c results in the accumulation of STING vesicles of a recycling endosomal origin in the cytosol, leading to sustained type I interferon response. CHMP4B/C localize at lysosomes and their lysosomal localization is abolished by interference with PIKfyve activity. Our results identify lysosomal ESCRT-III as a PI(3,5)P2 effector, reveal a role of the less characterized phosphoinositide PI(3,5)P2 in lysosomal biology, and provide insights into the molecular framework that distinguishes LMA from other cellular processes engaged with ESCRT.

cell biology↗

Synergistic effects of PARP inhibitors by Schlafen 11 and BRCA2-deficiency through accumulation of single-strand DNA gaps behind a fork

Poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitors (PARPis) induce synthetic lethality in breast cancer gene (BRCA)-deficient tumors. Besides the original model proposed by accumulation of double-strand DNA breaks due to the impaired homologous recombination, accumulation of single-strand DNA (ssDNA) gaps due to impaired BRCA-mediated Okazaki fragment processing has emerged as an alternative mechanism of synthetic lethality. Accordingly, PARPis induce ssDNA gaps behind a replication fork in BRCA-deficient cells. Schlafen 11 (SLFN11), a member of the SLFN family, binds replication protein A (RPA)-coated ssDNA gaps and sensitizes cancer cells to DNA-damaging anticancer agents. These facts motivated us to examine the combinational effects of SLFN11 and BRCA-deficiency on PARPis sensitivity. Here, we show that SLFN11 and BRCA2-deficiency synergistically increased sensitivity to PARPis (talazoparib, niraparib, olaparib, and veliparib) at specific concentrations, where SLFN11 alone showed marginal effects. Using chromatin-bound proteins and alkaline BrdU comet assays in human cancer cells, we revealed that ssDNA gaps induced by PARPis were increased by SLFN11 or BRCA2-deficiency and that the combination of the two had the greatest effect. SLFN11 was recruited to and colocalized with chromatin-bound RPA2 under PARPis. SLFN11 recruited around a fork under DNA damage blocked replication, whereas SLFN11 recruited behind a fork under PARPis did not. Chromatin recruitment of SLFN11 and RPA2 was attenuated by the MRE11 inhibitor mirin. Hence, our studies showed that BRCA2-deficiency increased ssDNA gaps behind a fork under PARPis treatment, where SLFN11 bound and further increased the gaps. Our findings provide a mechanistic understanding of favorable responses to PARPis in SLFN11-proficient and BRCA-deficient tumors. SignificanceThis study reveals how SLFN11 enhances the antitumor effects of PARP inhibitors in BRCA2-deficient cancer cells and highlights the importance of analyzing SLFN11 expression in addition to BRCA analysis in clinical practice.

cancer biology↗

Metabolic clogging of mannose triggers genomic instability via dNTP loss in human cancer cells

Mannose has anti-cancer activity that inhibits cell proliferation and enhances the efficacy of chemotherapy. How mannose exerts its anti-cancer activity, however, remains poorly understood. Here, using genetically engineered human cancer cells that permit the precise control of mannose metabolic flux, we demonstrate that the large influx of mannose exceeding its metabolic capacity induced metabolic remodeling, leading to the generation of slow-cycling cells with limited deoxyribonucleoside triphosphates (dNTPs). This metabolic remodeling impaired dormant origin firing required to rescue stalled forks by cisplatin, thus exacerbating replication stress. Importantly, pharmacological inhibition of de novo dNTP biosynthesis was sufficient to retard cell cycle progression, sensitize cells to cisplatin, and inhibit dormant origin firing, suggesting dNTP loss-induced genomic instability as a central mechanism for the anti-cancer activity of mannose.

cancer biology↗

Highly concentrated trehalose induces transient senescence-associated secretory phenotype in fibroblasts via CDKN1A/p21

Trehalose is the nonreducing disaccharide of glucose, evolutionarily conserved in invertebrates, but does not exist in vertebrates. The living skin equivalent (LSE) is an organotypic coculture containing keratinocytes cultivated on fibroblast-populated dermal substitutes. We demonstrated that human primary fibroblasts treated with highly concentrated trehalose promote significantly extensive spread of the epidermal layer of LSE without any deleterious effects. The RNA-seq analysis data and Ingenuity pathway analysis of the differentially expressed genes of trehalose-treated 2D and 3D fibroblasts at early time points revealed the involvement of the CDKN1A pathway, which is necessary for the marked upregulation of growth factors including DPT. By contrast, the mRNA-seq data of LSEs 2-weeks after air exposure indicated that gene expression profiles are similar for untreated and trehalose-treated cells in both keratinocytes and fibroblasts. The trehalose-treated fibroblasts were positive for senescence-associated {beta}-galactosidase with the significantly downregulated expressions of LMNB1. Finally, we demonstrated that transplantation of the dermal substitute with trehalose-treated fibroblasts accelerated wound closure and increased capillary formation significantly in the experimental mouse wounds in vivo. These data indicate that high-concentration trehalose can induce the beneficial senescence-associated secretory phenotype in fibroblasts via CDKN1A/p21, which may be therapeutically useful for optimal wound repair.

cell biology↗

Aberrant accumulation of NIK promotes tumorigenicity by dysregulating post-translational modifications in breast cancer

Post-translational modifications and mRNA translation are frequently altered in human cancers. However, investigations to understand their roles in the cancer progression mechanism remain insufficient. In this research, we explored protein levels altered by translational or post-translational regulation by analyzing transcriptome and western blotting data of the highly malignant breast cancer cell lines. From these analyses, NIK was found to be upregulated at the protein level to predominantly activate the non-canonical NF-{kappa}B pathway in a breast cancer cell line. Furthermore, the increase in NIK protein production was attributed to the dysregulation of ubiquitin-proteasome system caused by a decrease in the translation of cIAP1. NIK upregulation contributed to tumorigenicity by regulating the expression of inflammatory response-related genes. Collectively, our study suggests that NIK is post-translationally modified and has the potential to be a therapeutic target and diagnostic marker for breast cancer.

cancer biology↗