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Armocida D, Busceti CL, Biagioni F, Fornai F, Frati A. The Role of Cellular Prion Protein in Glioma Tumorigenesis Could Be through the Autophagic Mechanisms: A Narrative Review. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:ijms24021405. [PMID: 36674920 PMCID: PMC9865539 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24021405] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2022] [Revised: 12/12/2022] [Accepted: 12/22/2022] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
The carcinogenesis of glial tumors appears complex because of the many genetic and epigenetic phenomena involved. Among these, cellular prion protein (PrPC) is considered a key factor in cell-death resistance and important aspect implicated in tumorigenesis. Autophagy also plays an important role in cell death in various pathological conditions. These two cellular phenomena are related and share the same activation by specific alterations in the cellular microenvironment. Furthermore, there is an interdependence between autophagy and prion activity in glioma tumorigenesis. Glioma is one of the most aggressive known cancers, and the fact that such poorly studied processes as autophagy and PrPC activity are so strongly involved in its carcinogenesis suggests that by better understanding their interaction, more can be understood about its origin and treatment. Few studies in the literature relate these two cellular phenomena, much less try to explain their combined activity and role in glioma carcinogenesis. In this study, we explored the recent findings on the molecular mechanism and regulation pathways of autophagy, examining the role of PrPC in autophagy processes and how they may play a central role in glioma tumorigenesis. Among the many molecular interactions that PrP physiologically performs, it appears that processes shared with autophagy activity are those most implicated in glial tumor carcinogeneses such as activity on MAP kinases, PI3K, and mTOR. This work can be supportive and valuable as a basis for further future studies on this topic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniele Armocida
- Department of Human Neuroscience, Sapienza University of Rome, Via Caserta 6, 00161 Roma, Italy
- Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Sciences, Sapienza University of Rome, Via Caserta 6, 00161 Roma, Italy
- Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico (I.R.C.C.S.) Neuromed, Via Atinense 18, 86077 Pozzilli, Italy
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +39-39-3287-4496
| | - Carla Letizia Busceti
- Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico (I.R.C.C.S.) Neuromed, Via Atinense 18, 86077 Pozzilli, Italy
| | - Francesca Biagioni
- Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico (I.R.C.C.S.) Neuromed, Via Atinense 18, 86077 Pozzilli, Italy
| | - Francesco Fornai
- Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico (I.R.C.C.S.) Neuromed, Via Atinense 18, 86077 Pozzilli, Italy
| | - Alessandro Frati
- Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico (I.R.C.C.S.) Neuromed, Via Atinense 18, 86077 Pozzilli, Italy
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Lenzi P, Busceti CL, Lazzeri G, Ferese R, Biagioni F, Salvetti A, Pompili E, De Franchis V, Puglisi-Allegra S, Frati A, Ferrucci M, Fornai F. Autophagy Activation Associates with Suppression of Prion Protein and Improved Mitochondrial Status in Glioblastoma Cells. Cells 2023; 12:cells12020221. [PMID: 36672156 PMCID: PMC9857229 DOI: 10.3390/cells12020221] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2022] [Revised: 12/23/2022] [Accepted: 12/24/2022] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Cells from glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) feature up-regulation of the mechanistic Target of Rapamycin (mTOR), which brings deleterious effects on malignancy and disease course. At the cellular level, up-regulation of mTOR affects a number of downstream pathways and suppresses autophagy, which is relevant for the neurobiology of GBM. In fact, autophagy acts on several targets, such as protein clearance and mitochondrial status, which are key in promoting the malignancy GBM. A defective protein clearance extends to cellular prion protein (PrPc). Recent evidence indicates that PrPc promotes stemness and alters mitochondrial turnover. Therefore, the present study measures whether in GBM cells abnormal amount of PrPc and mitochondrial alterations are concomitant in baseline conditions and whether they are reverted by mTOR inhibition. Proteins related to mitochondrial turnover were concomitantly assessed. High amounts of PrPc and altered mitochondria were both mitigated dose-dependently by the mTOR inhibitor rapamycin, which produced a persistent activation of the autophagy flux and shifted proliferating cells from S to G1 cell cycle phase. Similarly, mTOR suppression produces a long-lasting increase of proteins promoting mitochondrial turnover, including Pink1/Parkin. These findings provide novel evidence about the role of autophagy in the neurobiology of GBM.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paola Lenzi
- Department of Translational Research and New Technologies in Medicine and Surgery, University of Pisa, Via Roma 55, 56126 Pisa, Italy
| | - Carla L. Busceti
- Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico (I.R.C.C.S.) Neuromed, Via Atinense 18, 86077 Pozzilli, Italy
| | - Gloria Lazzeri
- Department of Translational Research and New Technologies in Medicine and Surgery, University of Pisa, Via Roma 55, 56126 Pisa, Italy
| | - Rosangela Ferese
- Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico (I.R.C.C.S.) Neuromed, Via Atinense 18, 86077 Pozzilli, Italy
| | - Francesca Biagioni
- Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico (I.R.C.C.S.) Neuromed, Via Atinense 18, 86077 Pozzilli, Italy
| | - Alessandra Salvetti
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Pisa, Via Roma 55, 56126 Pisa, Italy
| | - Elena Pompili
- Department of Anatomy, Histology, Forensic Medicine and Orthopedics, Sapienza University of Rome, Via A. Borelli 50, 00161 Rome, Italy
| | - Valerio De Franchis
- Department of Anatomy, Histology, Forensic Medicine and Orthopedics, Sapienza University of Rome, Via A. Borelli 50, 00161 Rome, Italy
| | - Stefano Puglisi-Allegra
- Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico (I.R.C.C.S.) Neuromed, Via Atinense 18, 86077 Pozzilli, Italy
| | - Alessandro Frati
- Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico (I.R.C.C.S.) Neuromed, Via Atinense 18, 86077 Pozzilli, Italy
- Neurosurgery Division, Department of Human Neurosciences, Sapienza University, 00135 Roma, Italy
| | - Michela Ferrucci
- Department of Translational Research and New Technologies in Medicine and Surgery, University of Pisa, Via Roma 55, 56126 Pisa, Italy
| | - Francesco Fornai
- Department of Translational Research and New Technologies in Medicine and Surgery, University of Pisa, Via Roma 55, 56126 Pisa, Italy
- Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico (I.R.C.C.S.) Neuromed, Via Atinense 18, 86077 Pozzilli, Italy
- Correspondence: or ; Tel.: +39-050-2218667
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Andreychuk YV, Zadorsky SP, Zhuk AS, Stepchenkova EI, Inge-Vechtomov SG. Relationship between Type I and Type II Template Processes: Amyloids and Genome Stability. Mol Biol 2020. [DOI: 10.1134/s0026893320050027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
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Identification of Prion Disease-Related Somatic Mutations in the Prion Protein Gene ( PRNP) in Cancer Patients. Cells 2020; 9:cells9061480. [PMID: 32560489 PMCID: PMC7349074 DOI: 10.3390/cells9061480] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2020] [Revised: 06/13/2020] [Accepted: 06/15/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Prion diseases are caused by misfolded prion protein (PrPSc) and are accompanied by spongiform vacuolation of brain lesions. Approximately three centuries have passed since prion diseases were first discovered around the world; however, the exact role of certain factors affecting the causative agent of prion diseases is still debatable. In recent studies, somatic mutations were assumed to be cause of several diseases. Thus, we postulated that genetically unstable cancer tissue may cause somatic mutations in the prion protein gene (PRNP), which could trigger the onset of prion diseases. To identify somatic mutations in the PRNP gene in cancer tissues, we analyzed somatic mutations in the PRNP gene in cancer patients using the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. In addition, to evaluate whether the somatic mutations in the PRNP gene in cancer patients had a damaging effect, we performed in silico analysis using PolyPhen-2, PANTHER, PROVEAN, and AMYCO. We identified a total of 48 somatic mutations in the PRNP gene, including 8 somatic mutations that are known pathogenic mutations of prion diseases. We identified significantly different distributions among the types of cancer, the mutation counts, and the ages of diagnosis between the total cancer patient population and cancer patients carrying somatic mutations in the PRNP gene. Strikingly, although invasive breast carcinoma and glioblastoma accounted for a high percentage of the total cancer patient population (9.9% and 5.4%, respectively), somatic mutations in the PRNP gene have not been identified in these two cancer types. We suggested the possibility that somatic mutations of the PRNP gene in glioblastoma can be masked by a diagnosis of prion disease. In addition, we found four aggregation-prone somatic mutations, these being L125F, E146Q, R151C, and K204N. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first specific analysis of the somatic mutations in the PRNP gene in cancer patients.
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Giardino E, Catalano R, Barbieri AM, Treppiedi D, Mangili F, Spada A, Arosio M, Mantovani G, Peverelli E. Cofilin is a mediator of RET-promoted medullary thyroid carcinoma cell migration, invasion and proliferation. Mol Cell Endocrinol 2019; 495:110519. [PMID: 31352037 DOI: 10.1016/j.mce.2019.110519] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2019] [Revised: 05/27/2019] [Accepted: 07/24/2019] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC) is a rare neuroendocrine tumor that originates from parafollicular thyroid C cells and accounts for 5% of thyroid cancers. In inherited cases of MTC, and in about 40% of sporadic cases, activating mutations of the receptor tyrosine kinase proto-oncogene RET are found. Constitutively active RET triggers signaling pathways involved in cell proliferation, survival and motility, but the mechanisms underlying malignant transformation of C-cells have been only partially elucidated. Cofilin is a key regulator of actin cytoskeleton dynamics. A crucial role of cofilin in tumor development, progression, invasion and metastasis has been demonstrated in different human cancers, but no data are available in MTC. Interestingly, RET activation upregulates cofilin gene expression. The aim of this study was to investigate cofilin contribution in invasiveness and growth of MTC cells, and its relevance in the context of mutant RET signaling. We found that cofilin transfection in human MTC cell line TT significantly increased migration (178 ± 44%, p < 0.001), invasion (165 ± 28%, p < 0.01) and proliferation (146 ± 18%, p < 0.001), accompanied by an increase of ERK1/2 phosphorylation (2.23-fold) and cyclin D1 levels (1.43-fold). Accordingly, all these responses were significantly reduced after genetic silencing of cofilin (-55 ± 10% migration, p < 0.001, -41 ± 8% invasion, p < 0.001, -17 ± 3% proliferation, p < 0.001). These results have been confirmed in primary cells cultures obtained from human MTCs. The inhibition of constitutively active RET in TT cells by both the RET pharmacological inhibitor RPI-1 and the transfection of dominant negative RET mutant (RETΔTK) resulted in a reduction of cofilin expression (-37 ± 8%, p < 0.001 and -31 ± 16%, p < 0.01, respectively). Furthermore, RPI-1 inhibitory effects on TT cell migration (-57 ± 13%, p < 0.01), but not on cell proliferation, were completely abolished in cells transfected with cofilin. In conclusion, these data indicate that an unbalanced cofilin expression, induced by oncogenic RET, contributes to promote MTC invasiveness and growth, suggesting the possibility of targeting cofilin pathway for more effective treatment of MTC.
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Affiliation(s)
- E Giardino
- Department of Clinical Sciences and Community Health, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - R Catalano
- Department of Clinical Sciences and Community Health, University of Milan, Milan, Italy; PhD Program in Endocrinological Sciences, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - A M Barbieri
- Department of Clinical Sciences and Community Health, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - D Treppiedi
- Department of Clinical Sciences and Community Health, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - F Mangili
- Department of Clinical Sciences and Community Health, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - A Spada
- Department of Clinical Sciences and Community Health, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - M Arosio
- Department of Clinical Sciences and Community Health, University of Milan, Milan, Italy; Endocrinology Unit, Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milan, Italy
| | - G Mantovani
- Department of Clinical Sciences and Community Health, University of Milan, Milan, Italy; Endocrinology Unit, Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milan, Italy.
| | - E Peverelli
- Department of Clinical Sciences and Community Health, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
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Lebreton S, Zurzolo C, Paladino S. Organization of GPI-anchored proteins at the cell surface and its physiopathological relevance. Crit Rev Biochem Mol Biol 2018; 53:403-419. [PMID: 30040489 DOI: 10.1080/10409238.2018.1485627] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI)-anchored proteins (GPI-APs) are a class of proteins attached to the extracellular leaflet of the plasma membrane via a post-translational modification, the glycolipid anchor. The presence of both glycolipid anchor and protein portion confers them unique features. GPI-APs are expressed in all eukaryotes, from fungi to plants and animals. They display very diverse functions ranging from enzymatic activity, signaling, cell adhesion, cell wall metabolism, neuritogenesis, and immune response. Likewise other plasma membrane proteins, the spatio-temporal organization of GPI-APs is critical for their biological activities in physiological conditions. In this review, we will summarize the latest findings on plasma membrane organization of GPI-APs and the mechanism of its regulation in different cell types. We will also examine the involvement of specific GPI-APs namely the prion protein PrPC, the Folate Receptor alpha and the urokinase plasminogen activator receptor in human diseases focusing on neurodegenerative diseases and cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stéphanie Lebreton
- a Unité de Trafic Membranaire et Pathogénèse, Institut Pasteur , Paris , France
| | - Chiara Zurzolo
- a Unité de Trafic Membranaire et Pathogénèse, Institut Pasteur , Paris , France
| | - Simona Paladino
- b Dipartimento di Medicina Molecolare e Biotecnologie Mediche, Università di Napoli Federico II , Napoli , Italy.,c CEINGE Biotecnologie Avanzate , Napoli , Italy
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Linsenmeier L, Mohammadi B, Wetzel S, Puig B, Jackson WS, Hartmann A, Uchiyama K, Sakaguchi S, Endres K, Tatzelt J, Saftig P, Glatzel M, Altmeppen HC. Structural and mechanistic aspects influencing the ADAM10-mediated shedding of the prion protein. Mol Neurodegener 2018; 13:18. [PMID: 29625583 PMCID: PMC5889536 DOI: 10.1186/s13024-018-0248-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2017] [Accepted: 03/21/2018] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Proteolytic processing of the prion protein (PrPC) by endogenous proteases generates bioactive membrane-bound and soluble fragments which may help to explain the pleiotropic roles of this protein in the nervous system and in brain diseases. Shedding of almost full-length PrPC into the extracellular space by the metalloprotease ADAM10 is of peculiar relevance since soluble PrP stimulates axonal outgrowth and is protective in neurodegenerative conditions such as Alzheimer’s and prion disease. However, molecular determinates and mechanisms regulating the shedding of PrP are entirely unknown. Methods We produced an antibody recognizing the neo-epitope of shed PrP generated by ADAM10 in biological samples and used it to study structural and mechanistic aspects affecting the shedding. For this, we investigated genetically modified cellular and murine models by biochemical and morphological approaches. Results We show that the novel antibody specifically detects shed PrP in cell culture supernatants and murine brain. We demonstrate that ADAM10 is the exclusive sheddase of PrPC in the nervous system and reveal that the glycosylation state and type of membrane-anchorage of PrPC severely affect its shedding. Furthermore, we provide evidence that PrP shedding can be modulated by pharmacological inhibition and stimulation and present data suggesting that shedding is a relevant part of a compensatory network ensuring PrPC homeostasis of the cell. Conclusions With the new antibody, our study introduces a new tool to reliably investigate PrP-shedding. In addition, this study provides novel and important insight into the regulation of this cleavage event, which is likely to be relevant for diagnostic and therapeutic approaches even beyond neurodegeneration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luise Linsenmeier
- Institute of Neuropathology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE), Hamburg, Germany
| | - Behnam Mohammadi
- Institute of Neuropathology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE), Hamburg, Germany
| | - Sebastian Wetzel
- Institute of Biochemistry, Christian Albrechts University, Kiel, Germany
| | - Berta Puig
- Institute of Neuropathology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE), Hamburg, Germany
| | | | - Alexander Hartmann
- Institute of Neuropathology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE), Hamburg, Germany
| | - Keiji Uchiyama
- Division of Molecular Neurobiology, Institute of Enzyme Research, Tokushima University, Tokushima, Japan
| | - Suehiro Sakaguchi
- Division of Molecular Neurobiology, Institute of Enzyme Research, Tokushima University, Tokushima, Japan
| | - Kristina Endres
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Medical Center, Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany
| | - Jörg Tatzelt
- Institute of Biochemistry and Pathobiochemistry, Ruhr University, Bochum, Germany
| | - Paul Saftig
- Institute of Biochemistry, Christian Albrechts University, Kiel, Germany
| | - Markus Glatzel
- Institute of Neuropathology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE), Hamburg, Germany
| | - Hermann C. Altmeppen
- Institute of Neuropathology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE), Hamburg, Germany
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