1
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Singh B, Cui K, Eisa-Beygi S, Zhu B, Cowan DB, Shi J, Wang DZ, Liu Z, Bischoff J, Chen H. Elucidating the crosstalk between endothelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EndoMT) and endothelial autophagy in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. Vascul Pharmacol 2024; 155:107368. [PMID: 38548093 DOI: 10.1016/j.vph.2024.107368] [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: 01/17/2024] [Revised: 03/07/2024] [Accepted: 03/25/2024] [Indexed: 04/26/2024]
Abstract
Atherosclerosis, a chronic systemic inflammatory condition, is implicated in most cardiovascular ischemic events. The pathophysiology of atherosclerosis involves various cell types and associated processes, including endothelial cell activation, monocyte recruitment, smooth muscle cell migration, involvement of macrophages and foam cells, and instability of the extracellular matrix. The process of endothelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EndoMT) has recently emerged as a pivotal process in mediating vascular inflammation associated with atherosclerosis. This transition occurs gradually, with a significant portion of endothelial cells adopting an intermediate state, characterized by a partial loss of endothelial-specific gene expression and the acquisition of "mesenchymal" traits. Consequently, this shift disrupts endothelial cell junctions, increases vascular permeability, and exacerbates inflammation, creating a self-perpetuating cycle that drives atherosclerotic progression. While endothelial cell dysfunction initiates the development of atherosclerosis, autophagy, a cellular catabolic process designed to safeguard cells by recycling intracellular molecules, is believed to exert a significant role in plaque development. Identifying the pathological mechanisms and molecular mediators of EndoMT underpinning endothelial autophagy, may be of clinical relevance. Here, we offer new insights into the underlying biology of atherosclerosis and present potential molecular mechanisms of atherosclerotic resistance and highlight potential therapeutic targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bandana Singh
- Vascular Biology Program, Department of Surgery, Harvard Medical School, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Kui Cui
- Vascular Biology Program, Department of Surgery, Harvard Medical School, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Shahram Eisa-Beygi
- Vascular Biology Program, Department of Surgery, Harvard Medical School, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Bo Zhu
- Vascular Biology Program, Department of Surgery, Harvard Medical School, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Douglas B Cowan
- Vascular Biology Program, Department of Surgery, Harvard Medical School, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Jinjun Shi
- Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative and Pain Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Da-Zhi Wang
- Center for Regenerative Medicine, University of South Florida Health Heart Institute, Morsani College of Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, USA
| | - Zhenguo Liu
- Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Missouri School of Medicine, Columbia, MO, USA
| | - Joyce Bischoff
- Vascular Biology Program, Department of Surgery, Harvard Medical School, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Hong Chen
- Vascular Biology Program, Department of Surgery, Harvard Medical School, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.
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2
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Cowan DB, Wu H, Chen H. Epsin Endocytic Adaptor Proteins in Angiogenic and Lymphangiogenic Signaling. Cold Spring Harb Perspect Med 2024; 14:a041165. [PMID: 37217282 PMCID: PMC10759987 DOI: 10.1101/cshperspect.a041165] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
Circulating vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) ligands and receptors are central regulators of vasculogenesis, angiogenesis, and lymphangiogenesis. In response to VEGF ligand binding, VEGF receptor tyrosine kinases initiate the chain of events that transduce extracellular signals into endothelial cell responses such as survival, proliferation, and migration. These events are controlled by intricate cellular processes that include the regulation of gene expression at multiple levels, interactions of numerous proteins, and intracellular trafficking of receptor-ligand complexes. Endocytic uptake and transport of macromolecular complexes through the endosome-lysosome system helps fine-tune endothelial cell responses to VEGF signals. Clathrin-dependent endocytosis remains the best understood means of macromolecular entry into cells, although the importance of non-clathrin-dependent pathways is increasingly recognized. Many of these endocytic events rely on adaptor proteins that coordinate internalization of activated cell-surface receptors. In the endothelium of both blood and lymphatic vessels, epsins 1 and 2 are functionally redundant adaptors involved in receptor endocytosis and intracellular sorting. These proteins are capable of binding both lipids and proteins and are important for promoting curvature of the plasma membrane as well as binding ubiquitinated cargo. Here, we discuss the role of epsin proteins and other endocytic adaptors in governing VEGF signaling in angiogenesis and lymphangiogenesis and discuss their therapeutic potential as molecular targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Douglas B Cowan
- Vascular Biology Program, Boston Children's Hospital, and Department of Surgery, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA
| | - Hao Wu
- Vascular Biology Program, Boston Children's Hospital, and Department of Surgery, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA
| | - Hong Chen
- Vascular Biology Program, Boston Children's Hospital, and Department of Surgery, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA
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3
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Changizi S, Sameti M, Bazemore GL, Chen H, Bashur CA. Epsin Mimetic UPI Peptide Delivery Strategies to Improve Endothelization of Vascular Grafts. Macromol Biosci 2023; 23:e2300073. [PMID: 37117010 DOI: 10.1002/mabi.202300073] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2023] [Indexed: 04/30/2023]
Abstract
Endothelialization of engineered vascular grafts for replacement of small-diameter coronary arteries remains a critical challenge. The ability for an acellular vascular graft to promote endothelial cell (EC) recruitment in the body would be very beneficial. This study investigated epsins as a target since they are involved in internalization of vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2. Specifically, epsin-mimetic UPI peptides are delivered locally from vascular grafts to block epsin activity and promote endothelialization. The peptide delivery from fibrin coatings allowed for controlled loading and provided a significant improvement in EC attachment, migration, and growth in vitro. The peptides have even more important impacts after grafting into rat abdominal aortae. The peptides prevented graft thrombosis and failure that is observed with a fibrin coating alone. They also modulated the in vivo remodeling. The grafts are able to remodel without the formation of a thick fibrous capsule on the adventitia with the 100 µg mL-1 peptide-loaded condition, and this condition enabled the formation of a functional EC monolayer in the graft lumen after only 1 week. Overall, this study demonstrated that the local delivery of UPI peptides is a promising strategy to improve the performance of vascular grafts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shirin Changizi
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Florida Institute of Technology, Melbourne, FL, 32901, USA
| | - Mahyar Sameti
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Florida Institute of Technology, Melbourne, FL, 32901, USA
| | - Gabrielle L Bazemore
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Florida Institute of Technology, Melbourne, FL, 32901, USA
| | - Hong Chen
- Vascular Biology Program, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Chris A Bashur
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Florida Institute of Technology, Melbourne, FL, 32901, USA
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4
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Dong Y, Wang B, Du M, Zhu B, Cui K, Li K, Yuan K, Cowan DB, Bhattacharjee S, Wong S, Shi J, Wang DZ, Chen K, Bischoff J, Linton MF, Chen H. Targeting Epsins to Inhibit Fibroblast Growth Factor Signaling While Potentiating Transforming Growth Factor-β Signaling Constrains Endothelial-to-Mesenchymal Transition in Atherosclerosis. Circulation 2023; 147:669-685. [PMID: 36591786 PMCID: PMC10136057 DOI: 10.1161/circulationaha.122.063075] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2022] [Accepted: 11/29/2022] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Epsin endocytic adaptor proteins are implicated in the progression of atherosclerosis; however, the underlying molecular mechanisms have not yet been fully defined. In this study, we determined how epsins enhance endothelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EndoMT) in atherosclerosis and assessed the efficacy of a therapeutic peptide in a preclinical model of this disease. METHODS Using single-cell RNA sequencing combined with molecular, cellular, and biochemical analyses, we investigated the role of epsins in stimulating EndoMT using knockout in Apoe-/- and lineage tracing/proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 serine protease mutant viral-induced atherosclerotic mouse models. The therapeutic efficacy of a synthetic peptide targeting atherosclerotic plaques was then assessed in Apoe-/- mice. RESULTS Single-cell RNA sequencing and lineage tracing revealed that epsins 1 and 2 promote EndoMT and that the loss of endothelial epsins inhibits EndoMT marker expression and transforming growth factor-β signaling in vitro and in atherosclerotic mice, which is associated with smaller lesions in the Apoe-/- mouse model. Mechanistically, the loss of endothelial cell epsins results in increased fibroblast growth factor receptor-1 expression, which inhibits transforming growth factor-β signaling and EndoMT. Epsins directly bind ubiquitinated fibroblast growth factor receptor-1 through their ubiquitin-interacting motif, which results in endocytosis and degradation of this receptor complex. Consequently, administration of a synthetic ubiquitin-interacting motif-containing peptide atheroma ubiquitin-interacting motif peptide inhibitor significantly attenuates EndoMT and progression of atherosclerosis. CONCLUSIONS We conclude that epsins potentiate EndoMT during atherogenesis by increasing transforming growth factor-β signaling through fibroblast growth factor receptor-1 internalization and degradation. Inhibition of EndoMT by reducing epsin-fibroblast growth factor receptor-1 interaction with a therapeutic peptide may represent a novel treatment strategy for atherosclerosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yunzhou Dong
- Vascular Biology Program, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA 02115
- Department of Surgery, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115
| | - Beibei Wang
- Vascular Biology Program, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA 02115
- Department of Surgery, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115
| | - Mulong Du
- Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02115
| | - Bo Zhu
- Vascular Biology Program, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA 02115
- Department of Surgery, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115
| | - Kui Cui
- Vascular Biology Program, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA 02115
- Department of Surgery, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115
| | - Kathryn Li
- Vascular Biology Program, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA 02115
| | - Ke Yuan
- Department of Medicine, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA 02115
- Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115
| | - Douglas B. Cowan
- Vascular Biology Program, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA 02115
- Department of Surgery, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115
| | - Sudarshan Bhattacharjee
- Vascular Biology Program, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA 02115
- Department of Surgery, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115
| | - Scott Wong
- Vascular Biology Program, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA 02115
| | - Jinjun Shi
- Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative and Pain Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA, 02115
- Department of Anæsthesia, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115
| | - Da-Zhi Wang
- USF Heart Institute, Center for Regenerative Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33612
| | - Kaifu Chen
- Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115
- Department of Cardiology, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA 02115
| | - Joyce Bischoff
- Vascular Biology Program, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA 02115
- Department of Surgery, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115
| | - MacRae F. Linton
- Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN 37232
| | - Hong Chen
- Vascular Biology Program, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA 02115
- Department of Surgery, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115
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5
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Veggiani G, Yates BP, Martyn GD, Manczyk N, Singer AU, Kurinov I, Sicheri F, Sidhu SS. Panel of Engineered Ubiquitin Variants Targeting the Family of Human Ubiquitin Interacting Motifs. ACS Chem Biol 2022; 17:941-956. [PMID: 35385646 PMCID: PMC9305627 DOI: 10.1021/acschembio.2c00089] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Ubiquitin (Ub)-binding domains embedded in intracellular proteins act as readers of the complex Ub code and contribute to regulation of numerous eukaryotic processes. Ub-interacting motifs (UIMs) are short α-helical modular recognition elements whose role in controlling proteostasis and signal transduction has been poorly investigated. Moreover, impaired or aberrant activity of UIM-containing proteins has been implicated in numerous diseases, but targeting modular recognition elements in proteins remains a major challenge. To overcome this limitation, we developed Ub variants (UbVs) that bind to 42 UIMs in the human proteome with high affinity and specificity. Structural analysis of a UbV:UIM complex revealed the molecular determinants of enhanced affinity and specificity. Furthermore, we showed that a UbV targeting a UIM in the cancer-associated Ub-specific protease 28 potently inhibited catalytic activity. Our work demonstrates the versatility of UbVs to target short α-helical Ub receptors with high affinity and specificity. Moreover, the UbVs provide a toolkit to investigate the role of UIMs in regulating and transducing Ub signals and establish a general strategy for the systematic development of probes for Ub-binding domains.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gianluca Veggiani
- Donnelly Centre for Cellular and Biomolecular Research, Banting and Best Department of Medical Research, University of Toronto, 160 College Street, Toronto, Ontario M5S3E1, Canada
| | - Bradley P. Yates
- Donnelly Centre for Cellular and Biomolecular Research, Banting and Best Department of Medical Research, University of Toronto, 160 College Street, Toronto, Ontario M5S3E1, Canada
| | - Gregory D. Martyn
- Donnelly Centre for Cellular and Biomolecular Research, Banting and Best Department of Medical Research, University of Toronto, 160 College Street, Toronto, Ontario M5S3E1, Canada
- Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5S 1A8, Canada
| | - Noah Manczyk
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5S 1A8, Canada
- Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute, Sinai Health System, Toronto, Ontario M5G 1X5, Canada
| | - Alex U. Singer
- Donnelly Centre for Cellular and Biomolecular Research, Banting and Best Department of Medical Research, University of Toronto, 160 College Street, Toronto, Ontario M5S3E1, Canada
| | - Igor Kurinov
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, NE-CAT, Cornell University, Argonne, Illinois 60439, United States
| | - Frank Sicheri
- Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5S 1A8, Canada
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5S 1A8, Canada
- Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute, Sinai Health System, Toronto, Ontario M5G 1X5, Canada
| | - Sachdev S. Sidhu
- Donnelly Centre for Cellular and Biomolecular Research, Banting and Best Department of Medical Research, University of Toronto, 160 College Street, Toronto, Ontario M5S3E1, Canada
- Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5S 1A8, Canada
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6
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Song K, Cai X, Dong Y, Wu H, Wei Y, Shankavaram UT, Cui K, Lee Y, Zhu B, Bhattacharjee S, Wang B, Zhang K, Wen A, Wong S, Yu L, Xia L, Welm AL, Bielenberg DR, Camphausen KA, Kang Y, Chen H. Epsins 1 and 2 promote NEMO linear ubiquitination via LUBAC to drive breast cancer development. J Clin Invest 2021; 131:129374. [PMID: 32960814 DOI: 10.1172/jci129374] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2019] [Accepted: 09/17/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Estrogen receptor-negative (ER-negative) breast cancer is thought to be more malignant and devastating than ER-positive breast cancer. ER-negative breast cancer exhibits elevated NF-κB activity, but how this abnormally high NF-κB activity is maintained is poorly understood. The importance of linear ubiquitination, which is generated by the linear ubiquitin chain assembly complex (LUBAC), is increasingly appreciated in NF-κB signaling, which regulates cell activation and death. Here, we showed that epsin proteins, a family of ubiquitin-binding endocytic adaptors, interacted with LUBAC via its ubiquitin-interacting motif and bound LUBAC's bona fide substrate NEMO via its N-terminal homolog (ENTH) domain. Furthermore, epsins promoted NF-κB essential modulator (NEMO) linear ubiquitination and served as scaffolds for recruiting other components of the IκB kinase (IKK) complex, resulting in the heightened IKK activation and sustained NF-κB signaling essential for the development of ER-negative breast cancer. Heightened epsin levels in ER-negative human breast cancer are associated with poor relapse-free survival. We showed that transgenic and pharmacological approaches eliminating epsins potently impeded breast cancer development in both spontaneous and patient-derived xenograft breast cancer mouse models. Our findings established the pivotal role epsins played in promoting breast cancer. Thus, targeting epsins may represent a strategy to restrain NF-κB signaling and provide an important perspective into ER-negative breast cancer treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kai Song
- Vascular Biology Program, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Xiaofeng Cai
- Vascular Biology Program, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.,Cardiovascular Biology Research Program, Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA
| | - Yunzhou Dong
- Vascular Biology Program, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Hao Wu
- Vascular Biology Program, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Yong Wei
- Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey, USA.,Cancer Metabolism and Growth Program, Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, New Brunswick, New Jersey, USA
| | - Uma T Shankavaram
- Radiation Oncology Branch, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Kui Cui
- Vascular Biology Program, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Yang Lee
- Vascular Biology Program, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Bo Zhu
- Vascular Biology Program, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Sudarshan Bhattacharjee
- Vascular Biology Program, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Beibei Wang
- Vascular Biology Program, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Kun Zhang
- Vascular Biology Program, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Aiyun Wen
- Vascular Biology Program, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Scott Wong
- Vascular Biology Program, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Lili Yu
- Vascular Biology Program, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Lijun Xia
- Cardiovascular Biology Research Program, Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA
| | - Alana L Welm
- Department of Oncological Sciences, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA
| | - Diane R Bielenberg
- Vascular Biology Program, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Kevin A Camphausen
- Radiation Oncology Branch, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Yibin Kang
- Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey, USA.,Cancer Metabolism and Growth Program, Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, New Brunswick, New Jersey, USA
| | - Hong Chen
- Vascular Biology Program, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
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7
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Epsins Negatively Regulate Aortic Endothelial Cell Function by Augmenting Inflammatory Signaling. Cells 2021; 10:cells10081918. [PMID: 34440686 PMCID: PMC8391889 DOI: 10.3390/cells10081918] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2021] [Revised: 07/23/2021] [Accepted: 07/27/2021] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: The endothelial epsin 1 and 2 endocytic adaptor proteins play an important role in atherosclerosis by regulating the degradation of the calcium release channel inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate receptor type 1 (IP3R1). In this study, we sought to identify additional targets responsible for epsin-mediated atherosclerotic endothelial cell activation and inflammation in vitro and in vivo. Methods: Atherosclerotic ApoE-/- mice and ApoE-/- mice with an endothelial cell-specific deletion of epsin 1 on a global epsin 2 knock-out background (EC-iDKO/ApoE-/-), and aortic endothelial cells isolated from these mice, were used to examine inflammatory signaling in the endothelium. Results: Inflammatory signaling was significantly abrogated by both acute (tumor necrosis factor-α (TNFα) or lipopolysaccharide (LPS)) and chronic (oxidized low-density lipoprotein (oxLDL)) stimuli in EC-iDKO/ApoE-/- mice and murine aortic endothelial cells (MAECs) isolated from epsin-deficient animals when compared to ApoE-/- controls. Mechanistically, the epsin ubiquitin interacting motif (UIM) bound to Toll-like receptors (TLR) 2 and 4 to potentiate inflammatory signaling and deletion of the epsin UIM mitigated this interaction. Conclusions: The epsin endocytic adaptor proteins potentiate endothelial cell activation in acute and chronic models of atherogenesis. These studies further implicate epsins as therapeutic targets for the treatment of inflammation of the endothelium associated with atherosclerosis.
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8
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Giangreco G, Malabarba MG, Sigismund S. Specialised endocytic proteins regulate diverse internalisation mechanisms and signalling outputs in physiology and cancer. Biol Cell 2020; 113:165-182. [PMID: 33617023 DOI: 10.1111/boc.202000129] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2020] [Revised: 11/26/2020] [Accepted: 11/27/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Although endocytosis was first described as the process mediating macromolecule or nutrient uptake through the plasma membrane, it is now recognised as a critical component of the cellular infrastructure involved in numerous processes, ranging from receptor signalling, proliferation and migration to polarity and stem cell regulation. To realise these varying roles, endocytosis needs to be finely regulated. Accordingly, multiple endocytic mechanisms exist that require specialised molecular machineries and an array of endocytic adaptor proteins with cell-specific functions. This review provides some examples of specialised functions of endocytic adaptors and other components of the endocytic machinery in different cell physiological processes, and how the alteration of these functions is linked to cancer. In particular, we focus on: (i) cargo selection and endocytic mechanisms linked to different adaptors; (ii) specialised functions in clathrin-mediated versus non-clathrin endocytosis; (iii) differential regulation of endocytic mechanisms by post-translational modification of endocytic proteins; (iv) cell context-dependent expression and function of endocytic proteins. As cases in point, we describe two endocytic protein families, dynamins and epsins. Finally, we discuss how dysregulation of the physiological role of these specialised endocytic proteins is exploited by cancer cells to increase cell proliferation, migration and invasion, leading to anti-apoptotic or pro-metastatic behaviours.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Maria Grazia Malabarba
- IEO, Istituto Europeo di Oncologia IRCCS, Milan, Italy.,Università degli Studi di Milano, Dipartimento di Oncologia ed Emato-oncologia, , Milan, Italy
| | - Sara Sigismund
- IEO, Istituto Europeo di Oncologia IRCCS, Milan, Italy.,Università degli Studi di Milano, Dipartimento di Oncologia ed Emato-oncologia, , Milan, Italy
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9
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Cui K, Dong Y, Wang B, Cowan DB, Chan SL, Shyy J, Chen H. Endocytic Adaptors in Cardiovascular Disease. Front Cell Dev Biol 2020; 8:624159. [PMID: 33363178 PMCID: PMC7759532 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2020.624159] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2020] [Accepted: 11/23/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Endocytosis is the process of actively transporting materials into a cell by membrane engulfment. Traditionally, endocytosis was divided into three forms: phagocytosis (cell eating), pinocytosis (cell drinking), and the more selective receptor-mediated endocytosis (clathrin-mediated endocytosis); however, other important endocytic pathways (e.g., caveolin-dependent endocytosis) contribute to the uptake of extracellular substances. In each, the plasma membrane changes shape to allow the ingestion and internalization of materials, resulting in the formation of an intracellular vesicle. While receptor-mediated endocytosis remains the best understood pathway, mammalian cells utilize each form of endocytosis to respond to their environment. Receptor-mediated endocytosis permits the internalization of cell surface receptors and their ligands through a complex membrane invagination process that is facilitated by clathrin and adaptor proteins. Internalized vesicles containing these receptor-ligand cargoes fuse with early endosomes, which can then be recycled back to the plasma membrane, delivered to other cellular compartments, or destined for degradation by fusing with lysosomes. These intracellular fates are largely determined by the interaction of specific cargoes with adaptor proteins, such as the epsins, disabled-homolog 2 (Dab2), the stonin proteins, epidermal growth factor receptor substrate 15, and adaptor protein 2 (AP-2). In this review, we focus on the role of epsins and Dab2 in controlling these sorting processes in the context of cardiovascular disease. In particular, we will focus on the function of epsins and Dab2 in inflammation, cholesterol metabolism, and their fundamental contribution to atherogenicity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kui Cui
- Vascular Biology Program, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, United States.,Department of Surgery, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Yunzhou Dong
- Vascular Biology Program, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, United States.,Department of Surgery, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Beibei Wang
- Vascular Biology Program, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, United States.,Department of Surgery, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Douglas B Cowan
- Vascular Biology Program, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, United States.,Department of Surgery, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States.,Department of Cardiology, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Siu-Lung Chan
- Vascular Biology Program, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, United States.,Department of Surgery, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
| | - John Shyy
- Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, University of California, San Diego, San Diego, CA, United States
| | - Hong Chen
- Vascular Biology Program, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, United States.,Department of Surgery, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
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10
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Bhattacharjee S, Lee Y, Zhu B, Wu H, Chen Y, Chen H. Epsins in vascular development, function and disease. Cell Mol Life Sci 2020; 78:833-842. [PMID: 32930806 DOI: 10.1007/s00018-020-03642-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2020] [Revised: 08/14/2020] [Accepted: 09/03/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Epsins are a family of adaptor proteins involved in clathrin-dependent endocytosis. In the vasculature, epsins 1 and 2 are functionally redundant members of this family that are expressed in the endothelial cells of blood vessels and the lymphatic system throughout development and adulthood. These proteins contain a number of peptide motifs that allow them to interact with lipid moieties and a variety of proteins. These interactions facilitate the regulation of a wide range of cell signaling pathways. In this review, we focus on the involvement of epsins 1 and 2 in controlling vascular endothelial growth factor receptor signaling in angiogenesis and lymphangiogenesis. We also discuss the therapeutic implications of understanding the molecular mechanisms of epsin-mediated regulation in diseases such as atherosclerosis and diabetes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sudarshan Bhattacharjee
- Vascular Biology Program, Harvard Medical School, Boston Children's Hospital and Department of Surgery, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Yang Lee
- Vascular Biology Program, Harvard Medical School, Boston Children's Hospital and Department of Surgery, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Bo Zhu
- Vascular Biology Program, Harvard Medical School, Boston Children's Hospital and Department of Surgery, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Hao Wu
- Vascular Biology Program, Harvard Medical School, Boston Children's Hospital and Department of Surgery, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Yabing Chen
- Department of Pathology, Birmingham Veterans Affairs Medical Center, University of Alabama at Birmingham and Research Department, Birmingham, AL, 35294, USA
| | - Hong Chen
- Vascular Biology Program, Harvard Medical School, Boston Children's Hospital and Department of Surgery, Boston, MA, 02115, USA.
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11
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Sen A, Hsieh WC, Hanna CB, Hsu CC, Pearson M, Tao WA, Aguilar RC. The Na + pump Ena1 is a yeast epsin-specific cargo requiring its ubiquitylation and phosphorylation sites for internalization. J Cell Sci 2020; 133:jcs245415. [PMID: 32694166 DOI: 10.1242/jcs.245415] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2020] [Accepted: 07/14/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
It is well known that in addition to its classical role in protein turnover, ubiquitylation is required for a variety of membrane protein sorting events. However, and despite substantial progress in the field, a long-standing question remains: given that all ubiquitin units are identical, how do different elements of the sorting machinery recognize their specific cargoes? Our results indicate that the yeast Na+ pump Ena1 is an epsin (Ent1 and Ent2 in yeast)-specific cargo and that its internalization requires K1090, which likely undergoes Art3-dependent ubiquitylation. In addition, an Ena1 serine and threonine (ST)-rich patch, proposed to be targeted for phosphorylation by casein kinases, was also required for its uptake. Interestingly, our data suggest that this phosphorylation was not needed for cargo ubiquitylation. Furthermore, epsin-mediated internalization of Ena1 required a specific spatial organization of the ST patch with respect to K1090 within the cytoplasmic tail of the pump. We hypothesize that ubiquitylation and phosphorylation of Ena1 are required for epsin-mediated internalization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arpita Sen
- Department of Biological Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA
| | - Wen-Chieh Hsieh
- Department of Biological Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA
| | - Claudia B Hanna
- Department of Biological Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA
| | - Chuan-Chih Hsu
- Department of Biochemistry, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA
| | - McKeith Pearson
- Department of Biological Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA
| | - W Andy Tao
- Department of Biochemistry, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA
| | - R Claudio Aguilar
- Department of Biological Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA
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12
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Dong Y, Lee Y, Cui K, He M, Wang B, Bhattacharjee S, Zhu B, Yago T, Zhang K, Deng L, Ouyang K, Wen A, Cowan DB, Song K, Yu L, Brophy ML, Liu X, Wylie-Sears J, Wu H, Wong S, Cui G, Kawashima Y, Matsumoto H, Kodera Y, Wojcikiewicz RJH, Srivastava S, Bischoff J, Wang DZ, Ley K, Chen H. Epsin-mediated degradation of IP3R1 fuels atherosclerosis. Nat Commun 2020; 11:3984. [PMID: 32770009 PMCID: PMC7414107 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-17848-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2019] [Accepted: 07/15/2020] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The epsin family of endocytic adapter proteins are widely expressed, and interact with both proteins and lipids to regulate a variety of cell functions. However, the role of epsins in atherosclerosis is poorly understood. Here, we show that deletion of endothelial epsin proteins reduces inflammation and attenuates atherosclerosis using both cell culture and mouse models of this disease. In atherogenic cholesterol-treated murine aortic endothelial cells, epsins interact with the ubiquitinated endoplasmic reticulum protein inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate receptor type 1 (IP3R1), which triggers proteasomal degradation of this calcium release channel. Epsins potentiate its degradation via this interaction. Genetic reduction of endothelial IP3R1 accelerates atherosclerosis, whereas deletion of endothelial epsins stabilizes IP3R1 and mitigates inflammation. Reduction of IP3R1 in epsin-deficient mice restores atherosclerotic progression. Taken together, epsin-mediated degradation of IP3R1 represents a previously undiscovered biological role for epsin proteins and may provide new therapeutic targets for the treatment of atherosclerosis and other diseases. Endothelial cell (EC) dysfunction and inflammation contribute to plaque destabilization in atherosclerosis, increasing the risk of thrombotic events. Here, the authors show that epsin promotes EC inflammation via a mechanism involving IP3R1 degradation, and that deletion of epsin in the endothelium prevents EC dysfunctoin and atherosclerosis in mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yunzhou Dong
- Vascular Biology Program, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Yang Lee
- Vascular Biology Program, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Kui Cui
- Vascular Biology Program, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Ming He
- Department of Medicine, University of California, San Diego, San Diego, CA, 92093, USA
| | - Beibei Wang
- Vascular Biology Program, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Sudarshan Bhattacharjee
- Vascular Biology Program, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Bo Zhu
- Vascular Biology Program, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Tadayuki Yago
- Cardiovascular Biology Program, Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation, Oklahoma City, OK, 73104, USA
| | - Kun Zhang
- Vascular Biology Program, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Lin Deng
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Kunfu Ouyang
- Department of Medicine, University of California, San Diego, San Diego, CA, 92093, USA
| | - Aiyun Wen
- Vascular Biology Program, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Douglas B Cowan
- Vascular Biology Program, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA.,Department of Cardiology, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Kai Song
- Vascular Biology Program, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Lili Yu
- Vascular Biology Program, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Megan L Brophy
- Vascular Biology Program, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Xiaolei Liu
- Center for Vascular and Developmental Biology, Feinberg Cardiovascular Research Institute, Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, 60611, USA
| | - Jill Wylie-Sears
- Vascular Biology Program, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Hao Wu
- Vascular Biology Program, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Scott Wong
- Vascular Biology Program, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Guanglin Cui
- Department of Nutrition and Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Yusuke Kawashima
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, OK, 73104, USA.,Center for Disease Proteomics, Kitasato University School of Science, 1-15-1 Kitasato, Minami-ku, Sagamihara, Kanagawa, 252-0373, Japan
| | - Hiroyuki Matsumoto
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, OK, 73104, USA
| | - Yoshio Kodera
- Center for Disease Proteomics, Kitasato University School of Science, 1-15-1 Kitasato, Minami-ku, Sagamihara, Kanagawa, 252-0373, Japan
| | | | - Sanjay Srivastava
- Department of Medicine, Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, University of Louisville School of Medicine, Louisville, KY, 40202, USA
| | - Joyce Bischoff
- Vascular Biology Program, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Da-Zhi Wang
- Department of Cardiology, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Klaus Ley
- La Jolla Institute for Allergy and Immunology, La Jolla, CA, 92037, USA
| | - Hong Chen
- Vascular Biology Program, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA.
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13
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Brophy ML, Dong Y, Tao H, Yancey PG, Song K, Zhang K, Wen A, Wu H, Lee Y, Malovichko MV, Sithu SD, Wong S, Yu L, Kocher O, Bischoff J, Srivastava S, Linton MF, Ley K, Chen H. Myeloid-Specific Deletion of Epsins 1 and 2 Reduces Atherosclerosis by Preventing LRP-1 Downregulation. Circ Res 2019; 124:e6-e19. [PMID: 30595089 DOI: 10.1161/circresaha.118.313028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
RATIONALE Atherosclerosis is, in part, caused by immune and inflammatory cell infiltration into the vascular wall, leading to enhanced inflammation and lipid accumulation in the aortic endothelium. Understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying this disease is critical for the development of new therapies. Our recent studies demonstrate that epsins, a family of ubiquitin-binding endocytic adaptors, are critical regulators of atherogenicity. Given the fundamental contribution lesion macrophages make to fuel atherosclerosis, whether and how myeloid-specific epsins promote atherogenesis is an open and significant question. OBJECTIVE We will determine the role of myeloid-specific epsins in regulating lesion macrophage function during atherosclerosis. METHODS AND RESULTS We engineered myeloid cell-specific epsins double knockout mice (LysM-DKO) on an ApoE-/- background. On Western diet, these mice exhibited marked decrease in atherosclerotic lesion formation, diminished immune and inflammatory cell content in aortas, and reduced necrotic core content but increased smooth muscle cell content in aortic root sections. Epsins deficiency hindered foam cell formation and suppressed proinflammatory macrophage phenotype but increased efferocytosis and anti-inflammatory macrophage phenotype in primary macrophages. Mechanistically, we show that epsin loss specifically increased total and surface levels of LRP-1 (LDLR [low-density lipoprotein receptor]-related protein 1), an efferocytosis receptor with antiatherosclerotic properties. We further show that epsin and LRP-1 interact via epsin's ubiquitin-interacting motif domain. ox-LDL (oxidized LDL) treatment increased LRP-1 ubiquitination, subsequent binding to epsin, and its internalization from the cell surface, suggesting that epsins promote the ubiquitin-dependent internalization and downregulation of LRP-1. Crossing ApoE-/-/LysM-DKO mice onto an LRP-1 heterozygous background restored, in part, atherosclerosis, suggesting that epsin-mediated LRP-1 downregulation in macrophages plays a pivotal role in propelling atherogenesis. CONCLUSIONS Myeloid epsins promote atherogenesis by facilitating proinflammatory macrophage recruitment and inhibiting efferocytosis in part by downregulating LRP-1, implicating that targeting epsins in macrophages may serve as a novel therapeutic strategy to treat atherosclerosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Megan L Brophy
- From the Vascular Biology Program and Department of Surgery, Boston Children's Hospital (M.L.B., Y.D., K.S., K.Z., A.W., H.W., Y.L., S.W., L.Y., J.B., H.C.), Harvard Medical School, MA.,Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center (M.L.B.)
| | - Yunzhou Dong
- From the Vascular Biology Program and Department of Surgery, Boston Children's Hospital (M.L.B., Y.D., K.S., K.Z., A.W., H.W., Y.L., S.W., L.Y., J.B., H.C.), Harvard Medical School, MA
| | - Huan Tao
- Atherosclerosis Research Unit, Cardiovascular Medicine, Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN (H.T., P.G.Y., M.F.L.)
| | - Patricia G Yancey
- Atherosclerosis Research Unit, Cardiovascular Medicine, Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN (H.T., P.G.Y., M.F.L.)
| | - Kai Song
- From the Vascular Biology Program and Department of Surgery, Boston Children's Hospital (M.L.B., Y.D., K.S., K.Z., A.W., H.W., Y.L., S.W., L.Y., J.B., H.C.), Harvard Medical School, MA
| | - Kun Zhang
- From the Vascular Biology Program and Department of Surgery, Boston Children's Hospital (M.L.B., Y.D., K.S., K.Z., A.W., H.W., Y.L., S.W., L.Y., J.B., H.C.), Harvard Medical School, MA.,Department of Cardiology, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China (K.Z.)
| | - Aiyun Wen
- From the Vascular Biology Program and Department of Surgery, Boston Children's Hospital (M.L.B., Y.D., K.S., K.Z., A.W., H.W., Y.L., S.W., L.Y., J.B., H.C.), Harvard Medical School, MA
| | - Hao Wu
- From the Vascular Biology Program and Department of Surgery, Boston Children's Hospital (M.L.B., Y.D., K.S., K.Z., A.W., H.W., Y.L., S.W., L.Y., J.B., H.C.), Harvard Medical School, MA
| | - Yang Lee
- From the Vascular Biology Program and Department of Surgery, Boston Children's Hospital (M.L.B., Y.D., K.S., K.Z., A.W., H.W., Y.L., S.W., L.Y., J.B., H.C.), Harvard Medical School, MA
| | - Marina V Malovichko
- Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Louisville, KY (M.V.M., S.D.S., S.S.)
| | - Srinivas D Sithu
- Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Louisville, KY (M.V.M., S.D.S., S.S.)
| | - Scott Wong
- From the Vascular Biology Program and Department of Surgery, Boston Children's Hospital (M.L.B., Y.D., K.S., K.Z., A.W., H.W., Y.L., S.W., L.Y., J.B., H.C.), Harvard Medical School, MA
| | - Lili Yu
- From the Vascular Biology Program and Department of Surgery, Boston Children's Hospital (M.L.B., Y.D., K.S., K.Z., A.W., H.W., Y.L., S.W., L.Y., J.B., H.C.), Harvard Medical School, MA
| | - Olivier Kocher
- Department of Pathology and Center for Vascular Biology Research, Beth Israel Medical Deaconess Medical Center (O.K.), Harvard Medical School, MA
| | - Joyce Bischoff
- From the Vascular Biology Program and Department of Surgery, Boston Children's Hospital (M.L.B., Y.D., K.S., K.Z., A.W., H.W., Y.L., S.W., L.Y., J.B., H.C.), Harvard Medical School, MA
| | - Sanjay Srivastava
- Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Louisville, KY (M.V.M., S.D.S., S.S.)
| | - MacRae F Linton
- Atherosclerosis Research Unit, Cardiovascular Medicine, Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN (H.T., P.G.Y., M.F.L.)
| | - Klaus Ley
- Division of Inflammation Biology, La Jolla Institute for Allergy and Immunology, CA (K.L.)
| | - Hong Chen
- From the Vascular Biology Program and Department of Surgery, Boston Children's Hospital (M.L.B., Y.D., K.S., K.Z., A.W., H.W., Y.L., S.W., L.Y., J.B., H.C.), Harvard Medical School, MA
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14
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Endocytic Adaptor Proteins in Health and Disease: Lessons from Model Organisms and Human Mutations. Cells 2019; 8:cells8111345. [PMID: 31671891 PMCID: PMC6912373 DOI: 10.3390/cells8111345] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2019] [Revised: 10/24/2019] [Accepted: 10/25/2019] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Cells need to exchange material and information with their environment. This is largely achieved via cell-surface receptors which mediate processes ranging from nutrient uptake to signaling responses. Consequently, their surface levels have to be dynamically controlled. Endocytosis constitutes a powerful mechanism to regulate the surface proteome and to recycle vesicular transmembrane proteins that strand at the plasma membrane after exocytosis. For efficient internalization, the cargo proteins need to be linked to the endocytic machinery via adaptor proteins such as the heterotetrameric endocytic adaptor complex AP-2 and a variety of mostly monomeric endocytic adaptors. In line with the importance of endocytosis for nutrient uptake, cell signaling and neurotransmission, animal models and human mutations have revealed that defects in these adaptors are associated with several diseases ranging from metabolic disorders to encephalopathies. This review will discuss the physiological functions of the so far known adaptor proteins and will provide a comprehensive overview of their links to human diseases.
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15
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Veggiani G, Sidhu SS. Peptides meet ubiquitin: Simple interactions regulating complex cell signaling. Pept Sci (Hoboken) 2018. [DOI: 10.1002/pep2.24091] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Gianluca Veggiani
- Donnelly Centre for Cellular and Biomolecular Research, Banting and Best Department of Medical Research; University of Toronto; Toronto Ontario Canada
- Department of Molecular Genetics; University of Toronto; Toronto Ontario Canada
| | - Sachdev S. Sidhu
- Donnelly Centre for Cellular and Biomolecular Research, Banting and Best Department of Medical Research; University of Toronto; Toronto Ontario Canada
- Department of Molecular Genetics; University of Toronto; Toronto Ontario Canada
- Department of Biochemistry; University of Toronto; Toronto Ontario Canada
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16
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Wu H, Rahman HA, Dong Y, Liu X, Lee Y, Wen A, To KH, Xiao L, Birsner AE, Bazinet L, Wong S, Song K, Brophy ML, Mahamud MR, Chang B, Cai X, Pasula S, Kwak S, Yang W, Bischoff J, Xu J, Bielenberg DR, Dixon JB, D’Amato RJ, Srinivasan RS, Chen H. Epsin deficiency promotes lymphangiogenesis through regulation of VEGFR3 degradation in diabetes. J Clin Invest 2018; 128:4025-4043. [PMID: 30102256 PMCID: PMC6118634 DOI: 10.1172/jci96063] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2017] [Accepted: 06/26/2018] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Impaired lymphangiogenesis is a complication of chronic complex diseases, including diabetes. VEGF-C/VEGFR3 signaling promotes lymphangiogenesis, but how this pathway is affected in diabetes remains poorly understood. We previously demonstrated that loss of epsins 1 and 2 in lymphatic endothelial cells (LECs) prevented VEGF-C-induced VEGFR3 from endocytosis and degradation. Here, we report that diabetes attenuated VEGF-C-induced lymphangiogenesis in corneal micropocket and Matrigel plug assays in WT mice but not in mice with inducible lymphatic-specific deficiency of epsins 1 and 2 (LEC-iDKO). Consistently, LECs isolated from diabetic LEC-iDKO mice elevated in vitro proliferation, migration, and tube formation in response to VEGF-C over diabetic WT mice. Mechanistically, ROS produced in diabetes induced c-Src-dependent but VEGF-C-independent VEGFR3 phosphorylation, and upregulated epsins through the activation of transcription factor AP-1. Augmented epsins bound to and promoted degradation of newly synthesized VEGFR3 in the Golgi, resulting in reduced availability of VEGFR3 at the cell surface. Preclinically, the loss of lymphatic-specific epsins alleviated insufficient lymphangiogenesis and accelerated the resolution of tail edema in diabetic mice. Collectively, our studies indicate that inhibiting expression of epsins in diabetes protects VEGFR3 against degradation and ameliorates diabetes-triggered inhibition of lymphangiogenesis, thereby providing a novel potential therapeutic strategy to treat diabetic complications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hao Wu
- Vascular Biology Program, Harvard Medical School, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - H.N. Ashiqur Rahman
- Vascular Biology Program, Harvard Medical School, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Yunzhou Dong
- Vascular Biology Program, Harvard Medical School, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Xiaolei Liu
- Center for Vascular and Developmental Biology, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Yang Lee
- Vascular Biology Program, Harvard Medical School, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Aiyun Wen
- Vascular Biology Program, Harvard Medical School, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Kim H.T. To
- Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Li Xiao
- Department of Nephrology, the Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China
| | - Amy E. Birsner
- Vascular Biology Program, Harvard Medical School, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Lauren Bazinet
- Vascular Biology Program, Harvard Medical School, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Scott Wong
- Vascular Biology Program, Harvard Medical School, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Kai Song
- Vascular Biology Program, Harvard Medical School, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Megan L. Brophy
- Vascular Biology Program, Harvard Medical School, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Oklahoma Health Science Center, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA
| | - M. Riaj Mahamud
- Cardiovascular Biology Program, Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA
| | - Baojun Chang
- Vascular Medicine Institute, Pulmonary, Allergy and Critical Care Division, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Xiaofeng Cai
- Cardiovascular Biology Program, Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA
| | - Satish Pasula
- Cardiovascular Biology Program, Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA
| | - Sukyoung Kwak
- Vascular Biology Program, Harvard Medical School, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Wenxia Yang
- Department of Nephrology, the Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China
| | - Joyce Bischoff
- Vascular Biology Program, Harvard Medical School, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Jian Xu
- Department of Medicine, University of Oklahoma Health Science Center, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA
| | - Diane R. Bielenberg
- Vascular Biology Program, Harvard Medical School, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - J. Brandon Dixon
- Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Robert J. D’Amato
- Vascular Biology Program, Harvard Medical School, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - R. Sathish Srinivasan
- Cardiovascular Biology Program, Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA
| | - Hong Chen
- Vascular Biology Program, Harvard Medical School, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
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17
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Therapeutic efficacy of a synthetic epsin mimetic peptide in glioma tumor model: uncovering multiple mechanisms beyond the VEGF-associated tumor angiogenesis. J Neurooncol 2018; 138:17-27. [PMID: 29357089 DOI: 10.1007/s11060-018-2766-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2017] [Accepted: 01/13/2018] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Binding of epsin ubiquitin-interacting motif (UIM) with ubiquitylated VEGFR2 is a critical mechanism for epsin-dependent VEGFR2 endocytosis and physiological angiogenesis. Deletion of epsins in vessel endothelium produces uncontrolled tumor angiogenesis and retards tumor growth in animal models. The aim of this study is to test the therapeutic efficacy and targeting specificity of a chemically-synthesized peptide, UPI, which compete for epsin binding sites in VEGFR2 and potentially inhibits Epsin-VEGFR2 interaction in vivo, in an attempt to reproduce an epsin-deficient phenotype in tumor angiogenesis. Our data show that UPI treatment significantly inhibits and shrinks tumor growth in GL261 glioma tumor model. UPI peptide specifically targets VEGFR2 signaling pathway revealed by genetic and biochemical approaches. Furthermore, we demonstrated that UPI peptide treatment caused serious thrombosis in tumor vessels and damages tumor cells after a long-term UPI peptide administration. Besides, we revealed that UPI peptides were unexpectedly targeted cancer cells and induced apoptosis. We conclude that UPI peptide is a potent inhibitor to glioma tumor growth through specific targeting of VEGFR2 signaling in the tumor vasculature and cancer cells, which may offer a potentially novel treatment for cancer patients who are resistant to current anti-VEGF therapies.
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18
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Dong Y, Wu H, Dong J, Song K, Rahman HA, Towner R, Chen H. Mimetic peptide of ubiquitin-interacting motif of epsin as a cancer therapeutic-perspective in brain tumor therapy through regulating VEGFR2 signaling. VESSEL PLUS 2017; 1:3-11. [PMID: 29905336 PMCID: PMC5997290 DOI: 10.20517/2574-1209.2016.01] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Epsins, endocytic adaptor proteins required for internalization of ubiquitylated receptors, are generally upregulated in human cancers. It has been characterized that mice deficient of epsins in the endothelium inhibit tumor growth by dysregulating vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-2 (VEGFR2) signaling and non-productive tumor angiogenesis. Binding of the epsin ubiquitin (Ub)-interacting motif (UIM) with ubiquitylated VEGFR2 is a critical mechanism for epsin-dependent VEGFR2 endocytosis and degradation, indicative of epsin UIM as a potential therapeutic target. A Computer Assisted Drug Design approach was utilized to create the UIM mimetic peptides for the functional competition of epsin binding sites in ubiquitylated VEGFR2 in vivo. Specifically targeting VEGFR2 in the tumor vasculature, the chemically synthesized chimeric UIM peptide, UPI, causes non-functional tumor angiogenesis, retards tumor growth, and increases survival rates in several tumor models. The authors showed that UPI binds ubiquitylated VEGFR2 to form a supercomplex in an Ub-dependent fashion. Collectively, the UPI targeting strategy offers a potentially novel treatment for cancer patients who are resistant to current anti-angiogenic therapies. In this review, the authors outline the main points of this research specifically as a potential application for glioma tumor therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yunzhou Dong
- Vascular Biology Program, Department of Surgery, Boston Children’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Hao Wu
- Vascular Biology Program, Department of Surgery, Boston Children’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Jerry Dong
- Advanced Magnetic Resonance Center, Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation, Oklahoma, OK 73104, USA
| | - Kai Song
- Vascular Biology Program, Department of Surgery, Boston Children’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Habibunnabi Ashiqur Rahman
- Vascular Biology Program, Department of Surgery, Boston Children’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Rheal Towner
- Advanced Magnetic Resonance Center, Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation, Oklahoma, OK 73104, USA
| | - Hong Chen
- Vascular Biology Program, Department of Surgery, Boston Children’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
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19
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Dong Y, Cai X, Wu Y, Liu Y, Deng L, Chen H. Insights from Genetic Model Systems of Retinal Degeneration: Role of Epsins in Retinal Angiogenesis and VEGFR2 Signaling. JOURNAL OF NATURE AND SCIENCE 2017; 3:e281. [PMID: 28191500 PMCID: PMC5303005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
The retina is a light sensitive tissue that contains specialized photoreceptor cells called rods and cones which process visual signals. These signals are relayed to the brain through interneurons and the fibers of the optic nerve. The retina is susceptible to a variety of degenerative diseases, including age-related macular degeneration (AMD), diabetic retinopathy (DR), retinitis pigmentosa (RP) and other inherited retinal degenerations. In order to reveal the mechanism underlying these diseases and to find methods for the prevention/treatment of retinal degeneration, animal models have been generated to mimic human eye diseases. In this paper, several well-characterized and commonly used animal models are reviewed. Of particular interest are the contributions of these models to our understanding of the mechanisms of retinal degeneration and thereby providing novel treatment options including gene therapy, stem cell therapy, nanomedicine, and CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing. Role of newly-identified adaptor protein epsins from our laboratory is discussed in retinal angiogenesis and VEGFR2 signaling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yunzhou Dong
- Vascular Biology Program, Boston Children’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Xue Cai
- Department of Ophthalmology, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, OK 73104, USA
| | - Yong Wu
- Department of Internal Medicine, Charles R. Drew University of Medicine & Sciences, University of California School of Medicine, Los Angeles, CA 90059, USA
| | - Yanjun Liu
- Department of Internal Medicine, Charles R. Drew University of Medicine & Sciences, University of California School of Medicine, Los Angeles, CA 90059, USA
| | - Lin Deng
- Department of Biological Chemistry & Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Hong Chen
- Vascular Biology Program, Boston Children’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
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Hellwig B, Madjar K, Edlund K, Marchan R, Cadenas C, Heimes AS, Almstedt K, Lebrecht A, Sicking I, Battista MJ, Micke P, Schmidt M, Hengstler JG, Rahnenführer J. Epsin Family Member 3 and Ribosome-Related Genes Are Associated with Late Metastasis in Estrogen Receptor-Positive Breast Cancer and Long-Term Survival in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Using a Genome-Wide Identification and Validation Strategy. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0167585. [PMID: 27926932 PMCID: PMC5142791 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0167585] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2016] [Accepted: 11/16/2016] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND In breast cancer, gene signatures that predict the risk of metastasis after surgical tumor resection are mainly indicative of early events. The purpose of this study was to identify genes linked to metastatic recurrence more than three years after surgery. METHODS Affymetrix HG U133A and Plus 2.0 array datasets with information on metastasis-free, disease-free or overall survival were accessed via public repositories. Time restricted Cox regression models were used to identify genes associated with metastasis during or after the first three years post-surgery (early- and late-type genes). A sequential validation study design, with two non-adjuvantly treated discovery cohorts (n = 409) and one validation cohort (n = 169) was applied and identified genes were further evaluated in tamoxifen-treated breast cancer patients (n = 923), as well as in patients with non-small cell lung (n = 1779), colon (n = 893) and ovarian (n = 922) cancer. RESULTS Ten late- and 243 early-type genes were identified in adjuvantly untreated breast cancer. Adjustment to clinicopathological factors and an established proliferation-related signature markedly reduced the number of early-type genes to 16, whereas nine late-type genes still remained significant. These nine genes were associated with metastasis-free survival (MFS) also in a non-time restricted model, but not in the early period alone, stressing that their prognostic impact was primarily based on MFS more than three years after surgery. Four of the ten late-type genes, the ribosome-related factors EIF4B, RPL5, RPL3, and the tumor angiogenesis modifier EPN3 were significantly associated with MFS in the late period also in a meta-analysis of tamoxifen-treated breast cancer cohorts. In contrast, only one late-type gene (EPN3) showed consistent survival associations in more than one cohort in the other cancer types, being associated with worse outcome in two non-small cell lung cancer cohorts. No late-type gene was validated in ovarian and colon cancer. CONCLUSIONS Ribosome-related genes were associated with decreased risk of late metastasis in both adjuvantly untreated and tamoxifen-treated breast cancer patients. In contrast, high expression of epsin (EPN3) was associated with increased risk of late metastasis. This is of clinical relevance considering the well-understood role of epsins in tumor angiogenesis and the ongoing development of epsin antagonizing therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Birte Hellwig
- Department of Statistics, TU Dortmund University, Dortmund, Germany
| | - Katrin Madjar
- Department of Statistics, TU Dortmund University, Dortmund, Germany
| | - Karolina Edlund
- Leibniz Research Centre for Working Environment and Human Factors (IfADo) at TU Dortmund University, Dortmund, Germany
| | - Rosemarie Marchan
- Leibniz Research Centre for Working Environment and Human Factors (IfADo) at TU Dortmund University, Dortmund, Germany
| | - Cristina Cadenas
- Leibniz Research Centre for Working Environment and Human Factors (IfADo) at TU Dortmund University, Dortmund, Germany
| | - Anne-Sophie Heimes
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University Hospital, Mainz, Germany
| | - Katrin Almstedt
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University Hospital, Mainz, Germany
| | - Antje Lebrecht
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University Hospital, Mainz, Germany
| | - Isabel Sicking
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University Hospital, Mainz, Germany
| | - Marco J. Battista
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University Hospital, Mainz, Germany
| | - Patrick Micke
- Department of Immunology, Genetics and Pathology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Marcus Schmidt
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University Hospital, Mainz, Germany
| | - Jan G. Hengstler
- Leibniz Research Centre for Working Environment and Human Factors (IfADo) at TU Dortmund University, Dortmund, Germany
| | - Jörg Rahnenführer
- Department of Statistics, TU Dortmund University, Dortmund, Germany
- * E-mail:
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Song K, Wu H, Rahman HNA, Dong Y, Wen A, Brophy ML, Wong S, Kwak S, Bielenberg DR, Chen H. Endothelial epsins as regulators and potential therapeutic targets of tumor angiogenesis. Cell Mol Life Sci 2016; 74:393-398. [PMID: 27572288 DOI: 10.1007/s00018-016-2347-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2016] [Revised: 08/17/2016] [Accepted: 08/22/2016] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
VEGF-driven tumor angiogenesis has been validated as a central target in several tumor types deserving of continuous and further considerations to improve the efficacy and selectivity of the current therapeutic paradigms. Epsins, a family of endocytic clathrin adaptors, have been implicated in regulating endothelial cell VEGFR2 signaling, where its inactivation leads to nonproductive leaky neo-angiogenesis and, therefore, impedes tumor development and progression. Targeting endothelial epsins is of special significance due to its lack of affecting other angiogenic-signaling pathways or disrupting normal quiescent vessels, suggesting a selective modulation of tumor angiogenesis. This review highlights seminal findings on the critical role of endothelial epsins in tumor angiogenesis and their underlying molecular events, as well as strategies to prohibit the normal function of endogenous endothelial epsins that capitalize on these newly understood mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kai Song
- Vascular Biology Program, Karp Family Research Laboratory, Department of Surgery, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, 12.214, 300 Longwood Avenue, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Hao Wu
- Vascular Biology Program, Karp Family Research Laboratory, Department of Surgery, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, 12.214, 300 Longwood Avenue, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - H N Ashiqur Rahman
- Vascular Biology Program, Karp Family Research Laboratory, Department of Surgery, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, 12.214, 300 Longwood Avenue, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Yunzhou Dong
- Vascular Biology Program, Karp Family Research Laboratory, Department of Surgery, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, 12.214, 300 Longwood Avenue, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Aiyun Wen
- Vascular Biology Program, Karp Family Research Laboratory, Department of Surgery, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, 12.214, 300 Longwood Avenue, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Megan L Brophy
- Vascular Biology Program, Karp Family Research Laboratory, Department of Surgery, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, 12.214, 300 Longwood Avenue, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Scott Wong
- Vascular Biology Program, Karp Family Research Laboratory, Department of Surgery, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, 12.214, 300 Longwood Avenue, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Sukyoung Kwak
- Vascular Biology Program, Karp Family Research Laboratory, Department of Surgery, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, 12.214, 300 Longwood Avenue, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Diane R Bielenberg
- Vascular Biology Program, Karp Family Research Laboratory, Department of Surgery, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, 12.214, 300 Longwood Avenue, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Hong Chen
- Vascular Biology Program, Karp Family Research Laboratory, Department of Surgery, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, 12.214, 300 Longwood Avenue, Boston, MA, 02115, USA.
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Rahman HNA, Wu H, Dong Y, Pasula S, Wen A, Sun Y, Brophy ML, Tessneer KL, Cai X, McManus J, Chang B, Kwak S, Rahman NS, Xu W, Fernandes C, Mcdaniel JM, Xia L, Smith L, Srinivasan RS, Chen H. Selective Targeting of a Novel Epsin-VEGFR2 Interaction Promotes VEGF-Mediated Angiogenesis. Circ Res 2016; 118:957-969. [PMID: 26879230 DOI: 10.1161/circresaha.115.307679] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2015] [Accepted: 02/12/2016] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
RATIONALE We previously reported that vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-induced binding of VEGF receptor 2 (VEGFR2) to epsins 1 and 2 triggers VEGFR2 degradation and attenuates VEGF signaling. The epsin ubiquitin interacting motif (UIM) was shown to be required for the interaction with VEGFR2. However, the molecular determinants that govern how epsin specifically interacts with and regulates VEGFR2 were unknown. OBJECTIVE The goals for the present study were as follows: (1) to identify critical molecular determinants that drive the specificity of the epsin and VEGFR2 interaction and (2) to ascertain whether such determinants were critical for physiological angiogenesis in vivo. METHODS AND RESULTS Structural modeling uncovered 2 novel binding surfaces within VEGFR2 that mediate specific interactions with epsin UIM. Three glutamic acid residues in epsin UIM were found to interact with residues in VEGFR2. Furthermore, we found that the VEGF-induced VEGFR2-epsin interaction promoted casitas B-lineage lymphoma-mediated ubiquitination of epsin, and uncovered a previously unappreciated ubiquitin-binding surface within VEGFR2. Mutational analysis revealed that the VEGFR2-epsin interaction is supported by VEGFR2 interacting specifically with the UIM and with ubiquitinated epsin. An epsin UIM peptide, but not a mutant UIM peptide, potentiated endothelial cell proliferation, migration and angiogenic properties in vitro, increased postnatal retinal angiogenesis, and enhanced VEGF-induced physiological angiogenesis and wound healing. CONCLUSIONS Distinct residues in the epsin UIM and VEGFR2 mediate specific interactions between epsin and VEGFR2, in addition to UIM recognition of ubiquitin moieties on VEGFR2. These novel interactions are critical for pathophysiological angiogenesis, suggesting that these sites could be selectively targeted by therapeutics to modulate angiogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- H N Ashiqur Rahman
- Vascular Biology Program, Karp Family Research Labs #12.214, Harvard Medical School, Boston Children's Hospital, 300 Longwood Ave, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Hao Wu
- Vascular Biology Program, Karp Family Research Labs #12.214, Harvard Medical School, Boston Children's Hospital, 300 Longwood Ave, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Yunzhou Dong
- Vascular Biology Program, Karp Family Research Labs #12.214, Harvard Medical School, Boston Children's Hospital, 300 Longwood Ave, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Satish Pasula
- Cardiovascular Biology Program, Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation, Oklahoma, OK 73104, USA
| | - Aiyun Wen
- Vascular Biology Program, Karp Family Research Labs #12.214, Harvard Medical School, Boston Children's Hospital, 300 Longwood Ave, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Ye Sun
- Vascular Biology Program, Karp Family Research Labs #12.214, Harvard Medical School, Boston Children's Hospital, 300 Longwood Ave, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Megan L Brophy
- Vascular Biology Program, Karp Family Research Labs #12.214, Harvard Medical School, Boston Children's Hospital, 300 Longwood Ave, Boston, MA 02115, USA.,Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Oklahoma Health Science Center, Oklahoma, OK 73104, USA
| | - Kandice L Tessneer
- Cardiovascular Biology Program, Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation, Oklahoma, OK 73104, USA
| | - Xiaofeng Cai
- Vascular Biology Program, Karp Family Research Labs #12.214, Harvard Medical School, Boston Children's Hospital, 300 Longwood Ave, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - John McManus
- Cardiovascular Biology Program, Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation, Oklahoma, OK 73104, USA
| | - Baojun Chang
- Cardiovascular Biology Program, Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation, Oklahoma, OK 73104, USA
| | - Sukyoung Kwak
- Vascular Biology Program, Karp Family Research Labs #12.214, Harvard Medical School, Boston Children's Hospital, 300 Longwood Ave, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Negar S Rahman
- Cardiovascular Biology Program, Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation, Oklahoma, OK 73104, USA
| | - Wenjia Xu
- Cardiovascular Biology Program, Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation, Oklahoma, OK 73104, USA
| | - Conrad Fernandes
- Cardiovascular Biology Program, Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation, Oklahoma, OK 73104, USA
| | - John Michael Mcdaniel
- Cardiovascular Biology Program, Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation, Oklahoma, OK 73104, USA
| | - Lijun Xia
- Cardiovascular Biology Program, Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation, Oklahoma, OK 73104, USA
| | - Lois Smith
- Vascular Biology Program, Karp Family Research Labs #12.214, Harvard Medical School, Boston Children's Hospital, 300 Longwood Ave, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - R Sathish Srinivasan
- Cardiovascular Biology Program, Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation, Oklahoma, OK 73104, USA
| | - Hong Chen
- Vascular Biology Program, Karp Family Research Labs #12.214, Harvard Medical School, Boston Children's Hospital, 300 Longwood Ave, Boston, MA 02115, USA
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