Biology subjects

Wills, J. C.

Publications and source records attributed to Wills, J. C..

4 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2022

Quantitative proteomics identifies tumour matrisome signatures in patients with non-small cell lung cancer

The composition and remodelling of the extracellular matrix (ECM) are important factors in the development and progression of cancers, and the ECM is implicated in promoting tumour growth and restricting anti-tumour therapies through multiple mechanisms. The characterisation of differences in ECM composition between normal and diseased tissues may aid in identifying novel diagnostic markers, prognostic indicators and therapeutic targets for drug development. Using tissue from non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients undergoing curative intent surgery, we characterised quantitative tumour-specific ECM proteome signatures by mass spectrometry, identifying 161 matrisome proteins differentially regulated between tumour tissue and nearby non-malignant lung tissue. We defined a collagen hydroxylation functional protein network that is enriched in the lung tumour microenvironment. We validated two novel putative extracellular markers of NSCLC, the collagen cross-linking enzyme peroxidasin and a disintegrin and metalloproteinase with thrombospondin motifs 16 (ADAMTS16), for discrimination of malignant and non-malignant lung tissue. These proteins were up-regulated in lung tumour samples, and high PXDN and ADAMTS16 gene expression was associated with shorter survival of lung adenocarcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma patients, respectively. These data reveal tumour matrisome signatures in human NSCLC. O_FIG O_LINKSMALLFIG WIDTH=200 HEIGHT=19 SRC="FIGDIR/small/510064v1_ufig1.gif" ALT="Figure 1"> View larger version (8K): org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@b34045org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@40a5a9org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@3c150corg.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@89c6f2_HPS_FORMAT_FIGEXP M_FIG C_FIG

cancer biology↗

bioRxiv2021

Mena regulates the LINC complex to control actin-nuclear lamina associations, trans-nuclear membrane signalling and cancer gene expression

Interactions between cells and the extracellular matrix, mediated by integrin adhesion complexes (IACs), play key roles in cancer progression and metastasis. We investigated systems-level changes in the integrin adhesome during metastatic progression of a patient-derived cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC), and found that the actin regulatory protein Mena is enriched in IACs in metastatic cSCC cells. Mena is connected within a subnetwork of actin-binding proteins to the LINC complex component nesprin-2, with which it interacts and co-localises at the nuclear envelope of metastatic cells. Moreover, Mena potentiates the interactions of nesprin-2 with the actin cytoskeleton and the nuclear lamina. CRISPR-mediated Mena depletion causes altered nuclear morphology, reduces tyrosine phosphorylation of the nuclear membrane protein emerin and downregulates expression of the immunomodulatory gene PTX3 via the recruitment of its enhancer to the nuclear periphery. We have uncovered an unexpected novel role for Mena at the nuclear membrane, where it controls the LINC complex, nuclear architecture, chromatin repositioning and cancer gene expression. This is the first description of an adhesion protein regulating gene transcription via direct signalling across the nuclear envelope. O_FIG O_LINKSMALLFIG WIDTH=200 HEIGHT=156 SRC="FIGDIR/small/458340v1_ufig1.gif" ALT="Figure 1"> View larger version (56K): org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@14e2251org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@af341corg.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@8624dforg.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@deeb50_HPS_FORMAT_FIGEXP M_FIG C_FIG

cell biology↗

bioRxiv2020

Developmental regulation of mitotic chromosome formation revealed by condensin reporter mice

Withdrawal Note: The authors have withdrawn their manuscript due to the discovery of artifacts that call into question key findings from the study. Both artifacts originate from cell-type differences that arose during sample processing, creating the impression that non-SMC subunits of condensin proteins were present at substantially higher levels in thymic T cells compared to bone marrow B cells or erythroblast cells. Based on data collected since the preprint was submitted, we no longer believe this to be true. The experimental artifacts do not affect the data contributed by the Papadopoulos laboratory (Figure 4). The authors wish to make it clear that all data and experimental protocols in the original manuscript were accurately reported, and that the experimental artifacts which affect data interpretation were discovered during internal review, independently of peer review, and are being reported at the authors own instigation. They do not, to our knowledge, affect the interpretation of data from any other published work. Due to the issues outlined above, the authors do not wish this work to be cited as reference for the project. If you have any questions, please contact the corresponding author.

cell biology↗

bioRxiv2019

Comparative proximity biotinylation produces an inventory of RAB18-interactions and implicates RAB18 in cholesterol mobilization

Loss of functional RAB18 causes the autosomal recessive condition Warburg Micro syndrome. To better understand this disease, we used proximity biotinylation to generate an inventory of potential RAB18 effectors. A restricted set of 28 RAB18-interactions were dependent on the binary RAB3GAP1-RAB3GAP2 RAB18-guanine nucleotide exchange factor (GEF) complex. 12 of these 28 interactions are supported by prior reports and we have directly validated novel interactions with SEC22A, TMCO4 and INPP5B. Consistent with a role for RAB18 in regulating membrane contact sites (MCSs), interactors included groups of microtubule/membrane-remodelling proteins, membrane-tethering and docking proteins, and lipid-modifying/transporting proteins. Two of the putative interactors, EBP and OSBPL2/ORP2, have sterol substrates. EBP (emopamil binding protein) is a {Delta}8-{Delta}7 sterol isomerase and OSBPL2/ORP2 is a lipid transport protein. This prompted us to investigate a role for RAB18 in cholesterol biosynthesis. We find that the cholesterol precursor and EBP-product lathosterol accumulates in both RAB18-null HeLa cells and RAB3GAP1-null fibroblasts derived from an affected individual. Further, de novo cholesterol biosynthesis is impaired in cells in which RAB18 is absent or dysregulated. Our data demonstrate that GEF-dependent Rab-interactions are highly amenable to interrogation by proximity biotinylation and may suggest that Micro syndrome is a cholesterol biosynthesis disorder.

cell biology↗