Expression of AIE-75 PDZ-domain protein induces G2/M cell cycle arrest in human colorectal adenocarcinoma SW480 cells

The Usher syndrome 1C protein harmonin regulates canonical Wnt signaling

Human Usher syndrome (USH) is the most common form of hereditary combined deaf-blindness. USH is a complex genetic disorder, and the pathomechanisms underlying the disease are far from being understood, especially in the eye and retina. The USH1C gene encodes the scaffold protein harmonin which organizes protein networks due to binary interactions with other proteins, such as all USH proteins. Interestingly, only the retina and inner ear show a disease-related phenotype, although USH1C/harmonin is almost ubiquitously expressed in the human body and upregulated in colorectal cancer. We show that harmonin binds to β-catenin, the key effector of the canonical Wnt (cWnt) signaling pathway. We also demonstrate the interaction of the scaffold protein USH1C/harmonin with the stabilized acetylated β-catenin, especially in nuclei. In HEK293T cells, overexpression of USH1C/harmonin significantly reduced cWnt signaling, but a USH1C-R31* mutated form did not. Concordantly, we observed an increase in cWnt signaling in dermal fibroblasts derived from an USH1C ^{R31*/R80Pfs*69} patient compared with healthy donor cells. RNAseq analysis reveals that both the expression of genes related to the cWnt signaling pathway and cWnt target genes were significantly altered in USH1C patient-derived fibroblasts compared to healthy donor cells. Finally, we show that the altered cWnt signaling was reverted in USH1C patient fibroblast cells by the application of Ataluren, a small molecule suitable to induce translational read-through of nonsense mutations, hereby restoring some USH1C expression. Our results demonstrate a cWnt signaling phenotype in USH establishing USH1C/harmonin as a suppressor of the cWnt/β-catenin pathway.

MiRNA expression profiling of rectal adenocarcinoma

AIM: To compare the expression profile of microRNA (miRNA) between rectal adenocarcinoma and normal rectal mucosal tissue to identify genes possibly associated with the development of rectal cancer.

METHODS: MiRNA expression profiling of two rectal adenocarcinoma samples and two normal rectal tissue samples was performed using miRNA microarray. The possible targets of miRNAs were predicated using bioinformatic tools.

RESULTS: Fifty-five miRNAs were found to be differentially expressed between rectal adenocarcinoma and normal tissues, with thirty-seven miRNAs up-regulated while eighteen down-regulated. Bioinformatic analyses indicated that ZFHX4 may be the target of miR-375, and that BACH2 and FZD3 may be the targets of miR-31.

CONCLUSION: There is a specific miRNA expression profile in rectal adenocarcinoma. MiRNAs play an important role in the development of rectal adenocarcinoma. Target mRNAs were primarily identified and worthy of further study.

Harmonin (Ush1c) is required in zebrafish Müller glial cells for photoreceptor synaptic development and function

Usher syndrome is the most prevalent cause of hereditary deaf-blindness, characterized by congenital sensorineural hearing impairment and progressive photoreceptor degeneration beginning in childhood or adolescence. Diagnosis and management of this disease are complex, and the molecular changes underlying sensory cell impairment remain poorly understood. Here we characterize two zebrafish models for a severe form of Usher syndrome, Usher syndrome type 1C (USH1C): one model is a mutant with a newly identified ush1c nonsense mutation, and the other is a morpholino knockdown of ush1c. Both have defects in hearing, balance and visual function from the first week of life. Histological analyses reveal specific defects in sensory cell structure that are consistent with these behavioral phenotypes and could implicate Müller glia in the retinal pathology of Usher syndrome. This study shows that visual defects associated with loss of ush1c function in zebrafish can be detected from the onset of vision, and thus could be applicable to early diagnosis for USH1C patients.

Microarray-based analysis of cell-cycle gene expression during spermatogenesis in the mouse

Mammalian spermatogenesis is a continuum of cellular differentiation in a lineage that features three principal stages: 1) a mitotically active stage in spermatogonia, 2) a meiotic stage in spermatocytes, and 3) a postreplicative stage in spermatids. We used a microarray-based approach to identify changes in expression of cell-cycle genes that distinguish 1) mitotic type A spermatogonia from meiotic pachytene spermatocytes and 2) pachytene spermatocytes from postreplicative round spermatids. We detected expression of 550 genes related to cell-cycle function in one or more of these cell types. Although a majority of these genes were expressed during all three stages of spermatogenesis, we observed dramatic changes in levels of individual transcripts between mitotic spermatogonia and meiotic spermatocytes and between meiotic spermatocytes and postreplicative spermatids. Our results suggest that distinct cell-cycle gene regulatory networks or subnetworks are associated with each phase of the cell cycle in each spermatogenic cell type. In addition, we observed expression of different members of certain cell-cycle gene families in each of the three spermatogenic cell types investigated. Finally, we report expression of 221 cell-cycle genes that have not previously been annotated as part of the cell cycle network expressed during spermatogenesis, including eight novel genes that appear to be testis-specific.

Ephrin B1 regulates bone marrow stromal cell differentiation and bone formation by influencing TAZ transactivation via complex formation with NHERF1

Mutations of ephrin B1 in humans result in craniofrontonasal syndrome. Because little is known of the role and mechanism of action of ephrin B1 in bone, we examined the function of osteoblast-produced ephrin B1 in vivo and identified the molecular mechanism by which ephrin B1 reverse signaling regulates bone formation. Targeted deletion of the ephrin B1 gene in type 1alpha2 collagen-producing cells resulted in severe calvarial defects, decreased bone size, bone mineral density, and trabecular bone volume, caused by impairment in osterix expression and osteoblast differentiation. Coimmunoprecipitation of the TAZ complex with TAZ-specific antibody revealed a protein complex containing ephrin B1, PTPN13, NHERF1, and TAZ in bone marrow stromal (BMS) cells. Activation of ephrin B1 reverse signaling with soluble EphB2-Fc led to a time-dependent increase in TAZ dephosphorylation and shuttling from cytoplasm to nucleus. Treatment of BMS cells with exogenous EphB2-Fc resulted in a 4-fold increase in osterix expression as determined by Western blotting. Disruption of TAZ expression using specific lentivirus small hairpin RNA (shRNA) decreased TAZ mRNA by 80% and ephrin B1 reverse signaling-mediated increases in osterix mRNA by 75%. Knockdown of NHERF1 expression reduced basal levels of osterix expression by 90% and abolished ephrin B1-mediated induction of osterix expression. We conclude that locally produced ephrin B1 mediates its effects on osteoblast differentiation by a novel molecular mechanism in which activation of reverse signaling leads to dephosphorylation of TAZ and subsequent release of TAZ from the ephrin B1/NHERF1/TAZ complex to translocate to the nucleus to induce expression of the osterix gene and perhaps other osteoblast differentiation genes. Our findings provide strong evidence that ephrin B1 reverse signaling in osteoblasts is critical for BMS cell differentiation and bone formation.

PDZ protein interactions underlying NMDA receptor-mediated excitotoxicity and neuroprotection by PSD-95 inhibitors

In neuronal synapses, PDZ domains [postsynaptic density-95 (PSD-95)/Discs large/zona occludens-1] of PSD-95 proteins interact with C termini of NMDA receptor [NMDAR (NR)] subunits, linking them to downstream neurotoxic signaling molecules. Perturbing NMDAR/PSD-95 interactions with a Tat peptide comprising the nine C-terminal residues of the NR2B subunit (Tat-NR2B9c) reduces neurons' vulnerability to excitotoxicity and ischemia. However, NR subunit C termini may bind many of >240 cellular PDZs, any of which could mediate neurotoxic signaling independently of PSD-95. Here, we performed a proteomic and biochemical analysis of the interactions of all known human PDZs with synaptic signaling proteins including NR1, NR2A-NR2D, and neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS). Tat-NR2B9c, whose interactions define PDZs involved in neurotoxic signaling, was also used. NR2A-NR2D subunits and Tat-NR2B9c had similar, highly specific, PDZ protein interactions, of which the strongest were with the PSD-95 family members (PSD-95, PSD-93, SAP97, and SAP102) and Tax interaction protein 1 (TIP1). The PSD-95 PDZ2 domain bound NR2A-NR2C subunits most strongly (EC50, approximately 1 microM), and fusing the NR2B C terminus to Tat enhanced its affinity for PSD-95 PDZ2 by >100-fold (EC50, approximately 7 nM). IC50 values for Tat-NR2B9c inhibiting NR2A-NR2C/PSD-95 interactions (approximately 1-10 microM) and nNOS/PSD-95 interactions (200 nM) confirmed the feasibility of such inhibition. To determine which of the PDZ interactions of Tat-NR2B9c mediate neuroprotection, one of PSD-95, PSD-93, SAP97, SAP102, TIP1, or nNOS expression was inhibited in cortical neurons exposed to NMDA toxicity. Only neurons lacking PSD-95 or nNOS but not PSD-93, SAP97, SAP102, or TIP1 exhibited reduced excitotoxic vulnerability. Thus, despite the ubiquitousness of PDZ domain-containing proteins, PSD-95 and nNOS above any other PDZ proteins are keys in effecting NMDAR-dependent excitotoxicity. Consequently, PSD-95 inhibition may constitute a highly specific strategy for treating excitotoxic disorders.