Biology subjects

Moreau, V.

Publications and source records attributed to Moreau, V..

15 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2025

Wild-type and mutated beta-catenin differently repress RND3/RHOE expression in hepatocellular carcinoma

Background & AimsTumor development and progression are mainly driven by oncogenic mutations but are also regulated by physical factors, such as applied forces or microenvironment stiffness. Through its structural and transcriptional functions, {beta}catenin is a key factor that acts on both aspects to promote liver tumorigenesis, leading to hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) development. However, the mechanisms by which these two functions regulate downstream targets remain poorly understood. Herein, we describe Rnd3, also called RhoE, an atypical member of the Rho GTPase family, as a common target of both functions of {beta}-catenin. We previously demonstrated that RND3 expression is downregulated in HCC, which correlates with intrahepatic metastasis. Yet, a molecular understanding of how Rnd3 expression is dysregulated in cancer is largely missing. Approach & ResultsUsing human HCC samples and cultured cell lines, we demonstrate that Rnd3 expression is regulated by {beta}-catenin pathways, regardless of their mutational status. Both the transcriptional and the structural activity of {beta}-catenin repress the expression of RND3. Indeed, we found that wild-type {beta}-catenin suppresses RND3 transcription through the Hippo pathway, whereas oncogenic {beta}-catenin downregulates RND3 expression through miRNA targeting its 3UTR. ConclusionRnd3 may constitute a key protein involved in the transcriptional program driven by oncogenic {beta}-catenin in HCC and as a mediator of the mechanosensitive response associated with cell-cell adhesion.

cancer biology↗

bioRxiv2025

p190A/ARHGAP35 and p190B/ARHGAP5 proteins in endometrial cancer, a novel cancer-relevant paralog interplay

Endometrial cancer is one of the main gynecological malignancies worldwide, with an estimated 320, 000 new cases annually. Several studies highlight ARHGAP35 as a significantly mutated gene in these tumors. It encodes for the protein p190RhoGAP-A (p190A), which is a major regulator of the small GTPase family of proteins. ARHGAP5 is a paralog of ARHGAP35 that encodes the protein p190RhoGAP-B (p190B). By analyzing human endometrial cancer samples, we found a co-occurrence of mutations in ARHGAP35 and ARHGAP5 genes and we reported that both are less expressed at the mRNA level in tumoral samples compared to healthy tissues. We were interested in understanding the impact of p190A/B under-expression in endometrial cancer and the relationship between the two paralogs. To do so, we have used CRISPR/Cas9 technology to generate HEC-1-A knockout cells for p190A and p190B. We showed that removal of each paralog led to a similar actin remodeling phenotype with the formation of Cross-Linked Actin Networks (CLANs), dependent on the Rho/ROCK pathway. Moreover, proteomic analysis of p190A and p190B knockout cells highlighted similar affected cell functions. Finally, our study demonstrates a synthetic lethality between p190A and p190B where removal of both paralogs is deleterious in endometrial cancer cells, unveiling a potential actionable vulnerability.

cancer biology↗

bioRxiv2025

Cancer cells transfer invasive properties through microRNAs contained in collagen-tracks

Invasion is a prerequisite for metastasis formation. During tumor development, the extracellular matrix (ECM) is remodeled in part through overexpression of type I collagen, increasing tumor microenvironment stiffness, and facilitating cancer dissemination. During breast cancer cell migration, we observed membrane debris left behind, attached to the collagen fibrils, along the migration path. We named these structures collagen-tracks. These collagen-tracks can be deposited in 3D matrices in vitro and in vivo and their formation is stimulated by the interaction between the ECM and matrix receptors, such as the discoidin-domain receptor (DDR1). However, they are different from structures already known to be involved in cell-cell communication such as exosomes and migrasomes, due to their specific nucleic acid and protein contents. When deposited by highly invasive breast cancer cells, internalized collagen-tracks reprogram non-invasive cells into highly pro-metastatic ones by inducing a partial epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). This cell reprogramming is dependent on specific miRNAs present in the collagen-tracks, that are necessary to promote ECM degradation, increase cell motility and invasiveness. Collagen-tracks thus represent a new form of cell-cell communication important for driving tumor invasion that could be targeted to prevent metastasis.

cell biology↗

bioRxiv2024

Src promotes tumor cell invasion by hijacking the translation machinery

The Src oncogene controls cancer cell invasiveness by promoting invadosome formation and extracellular matrix degradation (ECM). Invadosomes are enriched in the eukaryotic translation initiation factor 3 (eIF3) complex associated with a local mRNA translation activity mandatory for their maintenance. Here, we show that Src regulates mRNA translation by controlling the expression of eIF3 subunits. Among them, eIF3h/e/d are essential for invadosome formation and ECM degradation. We demonstrate that Src controls the canonical mTOR/eIF4E and the non-canonical eIF3d cap-dependent translation initiation pathways. We show that both pathways are necessary for invadosome formation and their ECM degradation function. Finally, we highlighted a correlation between Src and eIF3h/e/d overexpression, which is associated with poor prognosis in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients and controls the ECM degradation and invasive properties of HCC cells. These findings identify Src as a major regulator of translation initiation pathways, which leads to invadosome formation, ECM degradation and tumor cell invasion. O_FIG O_LINKSMALLFIG WIDTH=200 HEIGHT=152 SRC="FIGDIR/small/606119v1_ufig1.gif" ALT="Figure 1"> View larger version (22K): org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@1804203org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@16ddae8org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@13ecca5org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@1ed685a_HPS_FORMAT_FIGEXP M_FIG Graphical abstract C_FIG

cell biology↗

bioRxiv2023

Repression of exosome secretion by mutated β-catenin contributes to immune escape in hepatocellular carcinoma

Immune checkpoint inhibitors have produced encouraging results in cancer patients. However, the majority of {beta}-catenin-mutated tumors have been described as lacking immune infiltrates and resistant to immunotherapy. The mechanisms by which oncogenic {beta}-catenin affects immune surveillance remain unclear. Herein, we highlighted the involvement of {beta}-catenin in the regulation of the exosomal pathway and, by extension, in immune/cancer cell communication in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). We showed that mutated {beta}-catenin represses expression of SDC4 and RAB27A, two main actors in exosome biogenesis, in both liver cancer cell lines and HCC patient samples. Using nanoparticle tracking analysis and live-cell imaging, we further demonstrated that activated {beta}-catenin represses exosome release. Then, we demonstrated in 3D spheroid models that activation of {beta}-catenin promotes a decrease in immune cell infiltration through a defect in exosome secretion. Taken together, our results provide the first evidence that oncogenic {beta}-catenin plays a key role in exosome biogenesis. Our study gives new insight into the impact of {beta}-catenin mutations on tumor microenvironment remodeling, which could lead to the development of new strategies to enhance immunotherapeutic response.

cancer biology↗

bioRxiv2023

Loss of RND3/RHOE controls entosis through LAMP1 expression in hepatocellular carcinoma

Entosis is a process that leads to the formation of cell-in-cell structures commonly found in cancers. Here, we identified entosis in hepatocellular carcinoma and the loss of Rnd3 as an efficient inducer of this mechanism. We characterized the different stages and the molecular regulators of entosis induced after Rnd3 silencing. We demonstrated that this process depends on RhoA/ROCK pathway, but not on E-cadherin. The proteomic profiling of entotic cells allowed us to identify LAMP1 as a protein upregulated by Rnd3 silencing and implicated not only in the degradation final stage of entosis, but also in the full mechanism. Moreover, we found a positive correlation between the presence of entotic cells and the metastatic potential of tumors in human patient samples. Altogether, these data suggest the involvement of entosis in liver tumor progression and highlight a new perspective for entosis analysis in medicine research as a novel therapeutic target.

cancer biology↗

bioRxiv2021

The beta-catenin-target Fascin-1, altering hepatocyte differentiation, is a new marker of immature cells in hepatoblastomas

BACKGROUND & AIMS{beta}-catenin is a well-known effector of the Wnt pathway and a key player in cadherin-mediated cell adhesion. Oncogenic mutations of {beta}-catenin are highly frequent in pediatric liver primary tumors. Those mutations are mostly heterozygous allowing the co-expression of wild-type (WT) and mutated {beta}-catenins in tumor cells. We investigated the interplay between WT and mutated {beta}-catenins in liver tumor cells, and searched for new actors of the {beta}-catenin pathway. METHODSUsing an RNAi strategy in {beta}-catenin-mutated hepatoblastoma (HB) cells, we dissociated the structural and transcriptional activities of {beta}-catenin, carried mainly by, respectively, WT and mutated proteins. Their impact was characterized using transcriptomic and functional analyses. We studied mice that develop liver tumors upon activation of {beta}-catenin in hepatocytes (APCKO and {beta}-catenin{Delta}exon3 mice). We made use of transcriptomic data from mouse and human HB specimens and analyzed samples by immunohistochemistry. RESULTSWe highlighted an antagonist role of WT and mutated {beta}-catenins on hepatocyte differentiation as attested by alteration of hepatocyte markers expression and bile canaliculi formation. We characterized Fascin-1 as a target of {beta}-catenin involved in hepatocyte differentiation. Using mouse models that allow the formation of two phenotypically distinct tumors (differentiated or undifferentiated), we found that Fascin-1 expression is higher in undifferentiated tumors. Finally, we found that Fascin-1 is a specific marker of the embryonal component in human HBs. CONCLUSIONSIn mice and human, Fascin-1 expression is linked to loss of differentiation and polarity of hepatocytes. Thus, we highlighted Fascin-1 as a new player in the modulation of hepatocyte differentiation associated to {beta}-catenin pathway alteration in the liver. Data Transparency Statementstudy materials will be made available to other researchers upon request.

cancer biology↗

bioRxiv2020

Defective membrane repair machinery impairs survival of invasive cancer cells

Cancer cells are able to reach distant tissues by migration and invasion processes. Enhanced ability to cope with physical stresses leading to cell membrane damages may offer to cancer cells high survival rate during metastasis. Consequently, down-regulation of the membrane repair machinery may be a therapeutic avenue for inhibiting metastasis. We show that migration of MDA-MB-231 cells on collagen I fibrils induces disruptions of plasma membrane and pullout of membrane fragments in the wake of cells. These cells are able to reseal membrane damages thanks to annexins (Anx) that are highly expressed in invasive cancer cells. In vitro membrane repair assays reveal that MDA-MB-231 cells respond heterogeneously to membrane injury and some of them possess very efficient repair machinery. Finally, we show that silencing of AnxA5 and AnxA6 leads to major defect of the membrane repair machinery responsible for the death of migrating MDA-MB-231 cells. Inhibition of membrane repair machinery may therefore represent a promising avenue for annihilating cancer metastasis. SummaryCancer cells are able to reach distant tissues by migration and invasion processes. This study shows that inhibition of the plasma membrane repair machinery may represent a promising avenue for annihilating cancer metastasis.

cancer biology↗

bioRxiv2020

DDR2 induces linear invadosome to promote angiogenesis in a fibrillar type I collagen context

To generate new vessels, endothelial cells (ECs) form invadosomes, which are actin-based microdomains with a proteolytic activity that degrade the basement membrane. We previously demonstrated that ECs form linear invadosomes in fibrillar type I collagen context. In this study, we aim to investigate the molecular mechanisms by which ECs guides angiogenesis in a fibrillar type I collagen context. We found that Discoidin Domain Receptor 2 (DDR2) is the collagen receptor tyrosine kinase required to form linear invadosomes in ECs. We further demonstrated that it acts in synergy with VEGF to promote extracellular matrix degradation. We highlighted the involvement of an interaction between DDR2 and the matrix metalloproteinase MMP14 in this process. Finally, using in vitro and ex-vivo angiogenesis assays, we demonstrated a pro-angiogenic function of DDR2 in a collagen-rich microenvironment. This study allows us to propose DDR2-dependent linear invadosomes as targets to modulate angiogenesis.

cell biology↗

bioRxiv2019

Counteracting resistance to targeted therapy in melanoma by inhibiting discoidin domain receptors

Anti-BRAF plus anti-MEK are used as first-line treatment of patients with metastatic melanomas harboring BRAF V600E mutation. The main issue with targeted therapy is acquired cellular resistance. In 70% of acquired resistance, melanoma cells switch their phenotype and become more aggressive and invasive. The molecular signature of this phenotype is MITF low, AXL high associated with actin cytoskeleton reorganization. After this switch, resistant cells present an anarchic cell proliferation due to MAP kinase pathway hyper-activation. We demonstrate that resistant cell lines presenting phenotype switching overexpress DDR1 and DDR2. We show that DDR2 inhibition induces a decrease in AXL and reduces actin stress fiber formation. Once this phenotype switching is acquired, we report that both DDRs promotes tumor cell proliferation, but only DDR2 can over-activate the MAP kinase pathway in resistant invasive cells in vitro and in vivo. Therefore, DDRs inhibition could be a promising strategy for countering this resistance mechanism. SignificanceOur results show that DDR2 is a relevant target in melanoma resistance. DDR2 is required at the beginning of resistance for melanoma cell phenotype switching to occur. After phenotype switching, DDRs promote tumor cell proliferation of resistant invasive melanoma cells, but only DDR2 is able to over-activate the MAP kinase pathway. We put forward dasatinib (a DDR inhibitor) as a potential second-line treatment after targeted dual therapy for resistant patients overexpressing DDRs.

cancer biology↗

bioRxiv2019

Rational programming of history-dependent logic in cellular populations.

Genetic programs operating in an history-dependent fashion are ubiquitous in nature and govern sophisticated processes such as development and differentiation. The ability to systematically and predictably encode such programs would advance the engineering of synthetic organisms and ecosystems with rich signal processing abilities. Here we implement robust, scalable history-dependent programs by distributing the computational labor across a cellular population. Our design is based on recombinase-driven DNA scaffolds expressing different genes according to the order of occurrence of inputs. These multicellular computing systems are highly modular and any program can be built by differential composition of strains containing well-characterized logic scaffolds. We developed an automated workflow that researchers can use to streamline program design and optimization. We anticipate that the history-dependent programs presented here will support many applications using cellular populations for material engineering, biomanufacturing and healthcare.\n\nOne Sentence SummarySystematic and automated frameworks for implementing robust history-dependent genetic programs in cellular populations.

synthetic biology↗

bioRxiv2018

PEPOP: new approaches to mimic non-continous epitopes

Bioinformatics methods are helpful to identify new molecules for diagnostic or therapeutic applications. For example, the use of peptides capable of mimicking binding sites has several benefits as replacing a protein difficult to produce, or toxic. Using peptides is less expensive. Peptides are easier to manipulate, and can be used as drugs. Continuous epitope predicted by bioinformatics tools are commonly used and these sequential epitopes are used as such in further experiments. Numerous discontinuous epitope predictors have been developed but only two bioinformatics tools proposed so far to predict peptide sequences: Superficial and PEPOP. PEPOP can generate series of peptide sequences that can replace continuous or discontinuous epitopes in their interaction with their cognate antibody. We have developed an improved version of PEPOP dedicated to answer to the experimentalists need for a tool able to handle proteins and to turn them into peptides. The PEPOP web site has been reorganized by peptide prediction category and is therefore better formulated to experimental designs. Since the first version of PEPOP, 32 new methods of peptide design were developed. In total, PEPOP proposes 35 methods in which 34 deal specifically with discontinuous epitopes, the most represented epitope type in nature.\n\nWe present the user-friendly, well-structured web-site of PEPOP and its validation through the use of predicted immunogenic or antigenic peptides mimicking discontinuous epitopes in different experimental ways. PEPOP proposes 35 methods of peptide design to guide experimentalists in using peptides potentially capable of replacing the cognate protein in its interaction with an Ab.

bioinformatics↗

bioRxiv2018

Benchmarking the PEPOP methods for mimicking discontinuous epitopes

Computational methods provide approaches to identify epitopes in protein antigens to help characterizing potential biomarkers identified by high-throughput genomic or proteomic experiments. PEPOP version 1.0 was developed as an antigenic or immunogenic peptide prediction tool. We have now improved this tool by implementing 32 new methods (PEPOP version 2.0) to guide the choice of peptides that mimic discontinuous epitopes and thus potentially able to replace the cognate protein antigen in its interaction with an antibody. In the present work, we describe these new methods and the benchmarking of their performances.\n\nBenchmarking was carried out by comparing the peptides predicted by the different methods and the corresponding epitopes determined by X-ray crystallography in a dataset of 75 antigen-antibody complexes. The Sensitivity (Se) and Positive Predictive Value (PPV) parameters were used to assess the performance of these methods. The results were compared to that of peptides obtained either by chance or by using the SUPERFICIAL tool, the only available comparable method.\n\nThe PEPOP methods were more efficient than, or as much as chance, and 33 of the 34 PEPOP methods performed better than SUPERFICIAL. Overall, \"optimized\" methods (tools that use the traveling salesman problem approach to design peptides) can predict peptides that best match true epitopes in most cases.

bioinformatics↗

bioRxiv2017

Scalable composition frameworks for multicellular logic

A major goal of synthetic biology is to reprogram living organisms to solve pressing challenges in manufacturing, environmental remediation, or healthcare. While many types of genetic logic gates have been engineered, their scalability remains limited. Previous work demonstrated that Distributed Multicellular Computation (DMC) enables the implementation of complex logic within cellular consortia. However, current DMC systems require spatial separation of cellular subpopulation to be scalable to N-inputs, and need cell-cell communication channels to operate. Here we present scalable composition frameworks for the systematic design of multicellular consortia performing recombinase-based Boolean or history-dependent logic, and integrating an arbitrary number of inputs. The theoretical designs for both Boolean and history-dependent logic are based on reduced sets of computational modules implemented into specific cellular subpopulations which can then be combined in various manners to implement all logic functions. Our systems mark a departure from previous DMC architectures as they do not require either cell-cell communication nor spatial separation, greatly facilitating their implementation and making them fully autonomous. Due to their scalability and composability, we anticipate that the design strategies presented here will help researchers and engineers to reprogram cellular behavior for various applications in a streamlined manner. We provide an online tool for automated design of DNA architectures allowing the implementation of multicellular N-inputs logic functions at: http://synbio.cbs.cnrs.fr/calin.

synthetic biology↗

bioRxiv2017

Fast Activation Cycles Of Rac1 At The Lamellipodium Tip Trigger Membrane Protrusion

The spatiotemporal coordination of actin regulators in the lamellipodium determines the dynamics and architecture of branched F-actin networks during cell migration. The WAVE complex, effector of Rac1 during cell protrusion, is concentrated at the lamellipodium tip. Yet, correlation of Rho GTPases activation with cycles of membrane protrusions, suggested that Rac1 activation is not synchronized with membrane protrusion and occurs behind the lamellipodium. However, RhoA activation is maximal at the cell edge and synchronized with edge progression. Combining single protein tracking (SPT) and super-resolution imaging with loss- or gain-of-function of Rho GTPases mutants, we demonstrate that Rac1 immobilizations at the lamellipodium tip are correlated with Rac1 activation, on the contrary to RhoA. We show that Rac1 effector WAVE and Rac1 regulator IRSp53 accumulate at the lamellipodium tip by membrane free-diffusion and trapping. Nevertheless, wild-type Rac1, which directly interacts with WAVE and IRSp53, only displays slower diffusion at the lamellipodium tip, suggesting fast local activation/inactivation cycles. Local optogenetic activation of Rac1, triggered by Tiam1 membrane recruitment, proves that Rac1 activation must occur at the lamellipodium tip and not behind the lamellipodium to trigger efficient membrane protrusion. Furthermore, coupling tracking with optogenetic activation of Rac1 demonstrates that Rac1-WT diffusive properties are unchanged despite enhanced lamellipodium protrusion. Taken together, our results support a model where Rac1 is rapidly switching between activation and inhibition at the lamellipodium tip, ensuring a local and fast control of Rac1 actions on its targets.\n\nSignificanceRac1 and RhoA GTPases are molecular switches controlling the actin cytoskeletal during cell migration. WAVE, Rac1 effector during cell protrusion, is concentrated at the lamellipodium tip. But, recent biosensor imaging studies suggested that Rac1 activation occurs behind the lamellipodium, while RhoA activation is maximal at the cell edge. Using single-molecule imaging and optogentics Rac1 activation we solved this apparent contradiction. We revealed a strong correlation between Rac1 activation and transient immobilizations at the lamellipodium tip, unlike RhoA. Furthermore, we demonstrated that Rac1 must be activated at the lamellipodium tip and not away from it to stimulate protrusion. Thus, fast cycling between activation and inhibition at the proximity of Rac1 targets ensures a local and fast control over Rac1 actions.\n\nAbbreviations

cell biology↗