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Singh AK, Upadhyay V, Sethi A, Chowdhury S, Mishra S, Verma SP, Bhatt MLB, Trivedi AK. Ring finger protein 138 inhibits transcription factor C/EBPα protein turnover leading to differentiation arrest in acute myeloid leukemia. Biochem J 2024; 481:653-666. [PMID: 38666590 DOI: 10.1042/bcj20240027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2024] [Revised: 04/23/2024] [Accepted: 04/26/2024] [Indexed: 05/12/2024]
Abstract
E3 ubiquitin ligase, ring finger protein 138 (RNF138) is involved in several biological processes; however, its role in myeloid differentiation or tumorigenesis remains unclear. RNAseq data from TNMplot showed that RNF138 mRNA levels are highly elevated in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) bone marrow samples as compared with bone marrow of normal volunteers. Here, we show that RNF138 serves as an E3 ligase for the tumor suppressor CCAAT/enhancer binding protein (C/EBPα) and promotes its degradation leading to myeloid differentiation arrest in AML. Wild-type RNF138 physically interacts with C/EBPα and promotes its ubiquitin-dependent proteasome degradation while a mutant RNF-138 deficient in ligase activity though interacts with C/EBPα, fails to down-regulate it. We show that RNF138 depletion enhances endogenous C/EBPα levels in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) isolated from healthy volunteers. Our data further shows that RNF138-mediated degradation of C/EBPα negatively affects its transactivation potential on its target genes. Furthermore, RNF138 overexpression inhibits all-trans-retinoic acid-induced differentiation of HL-60 cells whereas RNF138 RNAi enhances. In line with RNF138 inhibiting C/EBPα protein turnover, we also observed that RNF138 overexpression inhibited β-estradiol (E2)-induced C/EBPα driven granulocytic differentiation in C/EBPα inducible K562-p42C/EBPα-estrogen receptor cells. Furthermore, we also recapitulated these findings in PBMCs isolated from AML patients where depletion of RNF138 increased the expression of myeloid differentiation marker CD11b. These results suggest that RNF138 inhibits myeloid differentiation by targeting C/EBPα for proteasomal degradation and may provide a plausible mechanism for loss of C/EBPα expression often observed in myeloid leukemia. Also, targeting RNF138 may resolve differentiation arrest by restoring C/EBPα expression in AML.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anil Kumar Singh
- Division of Cancer Biology, CSIR-Central Drug Research Institute, Sector-10, Jankipuram Extension, Sitapur Road, Lucknow 226031, UP, India
- Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad 201002, India
| | - Vishal Upadhyay
- Division of Cancer Biology, CSIR-Central Drug Research Institute, Sector-10, Jankipuram Extension, Sitapur Road, Lucknow 226031, UP, India
- Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad 201002, India
| | - Arppita Sethi
- Division of Cancer Biology, CSIR-Central Drug Research Institute, Sector-10, Jankipuram Extension, Sitapur Road, Lucknow 226031, UP, India
- Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad 201002, India
| | - Sangita Chowdhury
- Division of Cancer Biology, CSIR-Central Drug Research Institute, Sector-10, Jankipuram Extension, Sitapur Road, Lucknow 226031, UP, India
| | - Shivkant Mishra
- Division of Cancer Biology, CSIR-Central Drug Research Institute, Sector-10, Jankipuram Extension, Sitapur Road, Lucknow 226031, UP, India
| | - Shailendra Prasad Verma
- Division of Cancer Biology, CSIR-Central Drug Research Institute, Sector-10, Jankipuram Extension, Sitapur Road, Lucknow 226031, UP, India
- King George's Medical University, Lucknow 226003, UP, India
| | | | - Arun Kumar Trivedi
- Division of Cancer Biology, CSIR-Central Drug Research Institute, Sector-10, Jankipuram Extension, Sitapur Road, Lucknow 226031, UP, India
- Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad 201002, India
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Wei Z, Su L, Gao S. The roles of ubiquitination in AML. Ann Hematol 2023:10.1007/s00277-023-05415-y. [PMID: 37603061 DOI: 10.1007/s00277-023-05415-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2023] [Accepted: 08/10/2023] [Indexed: 08/22/2023]
Abstract
Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a heterogeneously malignant disorder resulting in poor prognosis. Ubiquitination, a major post-translational modification (PTM), plays an essential role in regulating various cellular processes and determining cell fate. Despite these initial insights, the precise role of ubiquitination in AML pathogenesis and treatment remains largely unknown. In order to address this knowledge gap, we explore the relationship between ubiquitination and AML from the perspectives of signal transduction, cell differentiation, and cell cycle control; and try to find out how this relationship can be utilized to inform new therapeutic strategies for AML patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhifeng Wei
- Department of Hematology, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, China
| | - Long Su
- Department of Hematology, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, China
| | - Sujun Gao
- Department of Hematology, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, China.
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Ferrena A, Wang J, Zhang R, Karadal-Ferrena B, Al-Hardan W, Singh S, Borjihan H, Schwartz E, Zhao H, Yang R, Geller D, Hoang B, Zheng D. SKP2 knockout in Rb1/p53 deficient mouse models of osteosarcoma induces immune infiltration and drives a transcriptional program with a favorable prognosis. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.05.09.540053. [PMID: 37214958 PMCID: PMC10197654 DOI: 10.1101/2023.05.09.540053] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
Purpose Osteosarcoma (OS) is an aggressive bone malignancy with a poor prognosis. One putative proto-oncogene in OS is SKP2, encoding a substrate recognition factor of the SCF E3 ubiquitin ligase. We previously demonstrated that SKP2 knockout in murine OS improved survival and delayed tumorigenesis. Here we aim to define the SKP2 drives transcriptional program and its clinical implication in OS. Experimental Design We performed RNA-sequencing (RNA-seq) on tumors from a transgenic OS mouse model with conditional Trp53 and Rb1 knockouts in the osteoblast lineage ("DKO": Osx1-Cre;Rb1lox/lox;p53lox/lox) and a triple-knockout model with additional Skp2 germline knockout ("TKO": Osx1-Cre;Rb1lox/lox;p53lox/lox;SKP2-/-). We validated our RNA-seq findings using qPCR and immunohistochemistry. To investigate the clinical implications of our results, we analyzed a human OS patient cohort ("NCI-TARGET OS") with RNA-seq and clinical data. Results We found large differences in gene expression after SKP2 knockout. Strikingly, we observed increased expression of genes related to immune microenvironment infiltration in TKO tumors. We observed significant increases in signature genes for macrophages and to a lesser extent, T cells, B cells and vascular cells. We also uncovered a set of relevant transcription factors that may mediate the changes. In OS patient cohorts, high expression of genes upregulated in TKO was correlated with favorable overall survival, which was largely explained by the macrophage gene signatures. This relationship was further supported by our finding that SKP2 expression was negatively correlated with macrophage infiltration in the NCI-TARGET OS and the TCGA Sarcoma cohort. Conclusion Our findings indicate that SKP2 may mediate immune exclusion from the OS tumor microenvironment, suggesting that SKP2 modulation in OS may induce anti-tumor immune activation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander Ferrena
- Institute for Clinical and Translational Research, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA
- Department of Genetics, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA
| | - Jichuan Wang
- Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Montefiore Medical Center, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA
| | - Ranxin Zhang
- Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Montefiore Medical Center, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA
| | | | - Waleed Al-Hardan
- Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Montefiore Medical Center, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA
| | - Swapnil Singh
- Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Montefiore Medical Center, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA
| | - Hasibagan Borjihan
- Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Montefiore Medical Center, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA
| | - Edward Schwartz
- Department of Oncology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA
- Department of Medicine, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA
- Department of Molecular Pharmacology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA
| | - Hongling Zhao
- Department of Developmental & Molecular Biology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA
| | - Rui Yang
- Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Montefiore Medical Center, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA
| | - David Geller
- Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Montefiore Medical Center, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA
| | - Bang Hoang
- Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Montefiore Medical Center, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA
| | - Deyou Zheng
- Department of Genetics, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA
- Department of Neurology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA
- Department of Neuroscience, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA
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Srivastava S, Siddiqui S, Chowdhury S, Trivedi AK. Dexamethasone activates c-Jun NH2-terminal kinase (JNK) which interacts with GR and protects it from ubiquitin-mediated degradation in NSCLC cells. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2023; 650:1-8. [PMID: 36764207 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2023.01.079] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2023] [Accepted: 01/25/2023] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
Dexamethasone-mediated pharmacological activation of the glucocorticoid receptor (GR) is widely used in the treatment regimen of hematological malignancies and solid cancers. However, DEX sensitivity towards patients primarily depends on the endogenous protein levels of GR. We observed that DEX treatment leads to an increase in GR protein levels despite inhibition of neo-protein synthesis in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cells. Mechanistically, DEX-stimulation concomitantly increased the JNK phosphorylation and GR protein levels, however the JNK stimulation preceds GR upregulation. Moreover, we also observed that DEX-mediated phosphorylation is partially mediated by upregulation in MEKK1 phosphorylation. Further, GR protein levels were significantly decreased in JNK inhibitor (JNKi, SP600125) treated cells whereas MG132 treatment restored GR levels indicating that DEX induced JNK activity regulated the GR protein levels through proteasomal-degradation pathway. Next, we showed that DEX led to JNK activation which physically interacts with GR and protects it from ubiquitination-mediated degradation. Furthermore, at basal level GR interacts with JNK in cytoplasm whereas upon DEX stimulation GR and pJNK both localized to nucleus and interact with each other. Next, we show that JNK-mediated GR stabilization affects its nuclear transcriptional functional activity in NSCLC cells. In line with these in vitro data, patient dataset analysis also shows that increased levels of both JNK and GR contributes towards better prognosis of NSCLC patients. Taken together, our data shows that DEX treatment may lead to positive feedback regulation of GR by activating JNK and thus highlights importance of GR-JNK crosstalk in NSCLC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Swati Srivastava
- Division of Cancer Biology, CSIR-Central Drug Research Institute, Sector-10, Jankipuram Extension, Sitapur Road, Lucknow, 226031, UP, India.
| | - Shumaila Siddiqui
- Division of Cancer Biology, CSIR-Central Drug Research Institute, Sector-10, Jankipuram Extension, Sitapur Road, Lucknow, 226031, UP, India; Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad, 201002, India
| | - Sangita Chowdhury
- Division of Cancer Biology, CSIR-Central Drug Research Institute, Sector-10, Jankipuram Extension, Sitapur Road, Lucknow, 226031, UP, India
| | - Arun Kumar Trivedi
- Division of Cancer Biology, CSIR-Central Drug Research Institute, Sector-10, Jankipuram Extension, Sitapur Road, Lucknow, 226031, UP, India; Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad, 201002, India.
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Ghafouri-Fard S, Khoshbakht T, Hussen BM, Dong P, Gassler N, Taheri M, Baniahmad A, Dilmaghani NA. A review on the role of cyclin dependent kinases in cancers. Cancer Cell Int 2022; 22:325. [PMID: 36266723 PMCID: PMC9583502 DOI: 10.1186/s12935-022-02747-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2022] [Accepted: 10/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The Cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) class of serine/threonine kinases has crucial roles in the regulation of cell cycle transition and is mainly involved in the pathogenesis of cancers. The expression of CDKs is controlled by a complex regulatory network comprised of genetic and epigenetic mechanisms, which are dysregulated during the progression of cancer. The abnormal activation of CDKs results in uncontrolled cancer cell proliferation and the induction of cancer stem cell characteristics. The levels of CDKs can be utilized to predict the prognosis and treatment response of cancer patients, and further understanding of the function and underlying mechanisms of CDKs in human tumors would pave the way for future cancer therapies that effectively target CDKs. Defects in the regulation of cell cycle and mutations in the genes coding cell-cycle regulatory proteins lead to unrestrained proliferation of cells leading to formation of tumors. A number of treatment modalities have been designed to combat dysregulation of cell cycle through affecting expression or activity of CDKs. However, effective application of these methods in the clinical settings requires recognition of the role of CDKs in the progression of each type of cancer, their partners, their interactions with signaling pathways and the effects of suppression of these kinases on malignant features. Thus, we designed this literature search to summarize these findings at cellular level, as well as in vivo and clinical levels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Soudeh Ghafouri-Fard
- Department of Medical Genetics, School of Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Tayyebeh Khoshbakht
- Men's Health and Reproductive Health Research Center, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Bashdar Mahmud Hussen
- Department of Pharmacognosy, College of Pharmacy, Hawler Medical University, Erbil, Kurdistan Region, Iraq.,Center of Research and Strategic Studies, Lebanese French University, Erbil, Kurdistan Region, Iraq
| | - Peixin Dong
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Hokkaido University School of Medicine, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
| | - Nikolaus Gassler
- Section of Pathology, Institute of Forensic Medicine, Jena University Hospital, Jena, Germany
| | - Mohammad Taheri
- Urology and Nephrology Research Center, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. .,Institute of Human Genetics, Jena University Hospital, Jena, Germany.
| | - Aria Baniahmad
- Institute of Human Genetics, Jena University Hospital, Jena, Germany.
| | - Nader Akbari Dilmaghani
- Skull Base Research Center, Loghman Hakim Hospital, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
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Acute Myeloid Leukemia-Related Proteins Modified by Ubiquitin and Ubiquitin-like Proteins. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms23010514. [PMID: 35008940 PMCID: PMC8745615 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23010514] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2021] [Revised: 12/24/2021] [Accepted: 12/30/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Acute myeloid leukemia (AML), the most common form of an acute leukemia, is a malignant disorder of stem cell precursors of the myeloid lineage. Ubiquitination is one of the post-translational modifications (PTMs), and the ubiquitin-like proteins (Ubls; SUMO, NEDD8, and ISG15) play a critical role in various cellular processes, including autophagy, cell-cycle control, DNA repair, signal transduction, and transcription. Also, the importance of Ubls in AML is increasing, with the growing research defining the effect of Ubls in AML. Numerous studies have actively reported that AML-related mutated proteins are linked to Ub and Ubls. The current review discusses the roles of proteins associated with protein ubiquitination, modifications by Ubls in AML, and substrates that can be applied for therapeutic targets in AML.
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