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Tatara Y, Kasai S, Kokubu D, Tsujita T, Mimura J, Itoh K. Emerging Role of GCN1 in Disease and Homeostasis. Int J Mol Sci 2024; 25:2998. [PMID: 38474243 PMCID: PMC10931611 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25052998] [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: 01/29/2024] [Revised: 02/29/2024] [Accepted: 03/02/2024] [Indexed: 03/14/2024] Open
Abstract
GCN1 is recognized as a factor that is essential for the activation of GCN2, which is a sensor of amino acid starvation. This function is evolutionarily conserved from yeast to higher eukaryotes. However, recent studies have revealed non-canonical functions of GCN1 that are independent of GCN2, such as its participation in cell proliferation, apoptosis, and the immune response, beyond the borders of species. Although it is known that GCN1 and GCN2 interact with ribosomes to accomplish amino acid starvation sensing, recent studies have reported that GCN1 binds to disomes (i.e., ribosomes that collide each other), thereby regulating both the co-translational quality control and stress response. We propose that GCN1 regulates ribosome-mediated signaling by dynamically changing its partners among RWD domain-possessing proteins via unknown mechanisms. We recently demonstrated that GCN1 is essential for cell proliferation and whole-body energy regulation in mice. However, the manner in which ribosome-initiated signaling via GCN1 is related to various physiological functions warrants clarification. GCN1-mediated mechanisms and its interaction with other quality control and stress response signals should be important for proteostasis during aging and neurodegenerative diseases, and may be targeted for drug development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yota Tatara
- Department of Stress Response Science, Biomedical Research Center, Hirosaki University Graduate School of Medicine, 5 Zaifu-cho, Hirosaki 036-8562, Aomori, Japan
| | - Shuya Kasai
- Department of Stress Response Science, Biomedical Research Center, Hirosaki University Graduate School of Medicine, 5 Zaifu-cho, Hirosaki 036-8562, Aomori, Japan
| | - Daichi Kokubu
- Diet and Well-Being Research Institute, KAGOME, Co., Ltd., 17 Nishitomiyama, Nasushiobara 329-2762, Tochigi, Japan
- Department of Vegetable Life Science, Hirosaki University Graduate School of Medicine, 5 Zaifu-cho, Hirosaki 036-8562, Aomori, Japan
| | - Tadayuki Tsujita
- Laboratory of Biochemistry, Department of Applied Biochemistry and Food Science, Faculty of Agriculture, Saga University, 1 Honjo-machi, Saga City 840-8502, Saga, Japan;
| | - Junsei Mimura
- Department of Stress Response Science, Biomedical Research Center, Hirosaki University Graduate School of Medicine, 5 Zaifu-cho, Hirosaki 036-8562, Aomori, Japan
| | - Ken Itoh
- Department of Stress Response Science, Biomedical Research Center, Hirosaki University Graduate School of Medicine, 5 Zaifu-cho, Hirosaki 036-8562, Aomori, Japan
- Department of Vegetable Life Science, Hirosaki University Graduate School of Medicine, 5 Zaifu-cho, Hirosaki 036-8562, Aomori, Japan
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Mendes EA, Tang Y, Jiang G. The integrated stress response signaling during the persistent HIV infection. iScience 2023; 26:108418. [PMID: 38058309 PMCID: PMC10696111 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2023.108418] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Human immunodeficiency virus-1 (HIV) infection is a chronic disease under antiretroviral therapy (ART), during which active HIV replication is effectively suppressed. Stable viral reservoirs are established early in infection and cannot be eradicated in people with HIV (PWH) by ART alone, which features residual immune inflammation with disease-associated secondary comorbidities. Mammalian cells are equipped with integrated stress response (ISR) machinery to detect intrinsic and extrinsic stresses such as heme deficiency, nutrient fluctuation, the accumulation of unfolded proteins, and viral infection. ISR is the part of the innate immunity that defends against pathogen infection or environmental alteration, thereby maintaining homeostasis to avoid diseases. Here, we describe how this machinery responds to the off-target effects of ART and persistent HIV infection in both the peripheral compartments and the brain. The latter may be important for us to better understand the mechanisms of stable HIV reservoirs and HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erica A. Mendes
- UNC HIV Cure Center, Institute of Global Health and Infectious Diseases, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7042, USA
| | - Yuyang Tang
- UNC HIV Cure Center, Institute of Global Health and Infectious Diseases, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7042, USA
| | - Guochun Jiang
- UNC HIV Cure Center, Institute of Global Health and Infectious Diseases and the Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599- 7042, USA
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Poltorack CD, Dixon SJ. Understanding the role of cysteine in ferroptosis: progress & paradoxes. FEBS J 2022; 289:374-385. [PMID: 33773039 PMCID: PMC8473584 DOI: 10.1111/febs.15842] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 23.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
Cysteine is a conditionally essential amino acid required for the synthesis of proteins and many important intracellular metabolites. Cysteine depletion can trigger iron-dependent nonapoptotic cell death-ferroptosis. Despite this, cysteine itself is normally maintained at relatively low levels within the cell, and many mechanisms that could act to buffer cysteine depletion do not appear to be especially effective or active, at least in cancer cells. How do we reconcile these seemingly paradoxical features? Here, we describe the regulation of cysteine and its contribution to ferroptosis and speculate about how the levels of this amino acid are controlled to govern nonapoptotic cell death.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Scott J. Dixon
- Department of Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA,Corresponding author:
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Raboni S, Montalbano S, Stransky S, Garcia BA, Buschini A, Bettati S, Sidoli S, Mozzarelli A. A Key Silencing Histone Mark on Chromatin Is Lost When Colorectal Adenocarcinoma Cells Are Depleted of Methionine by Methionine γ-Lyase. Front Mol Biosci 2021; 8:735303. [PMID: 34660696 PMCID: PMC8517235 DOI: 10.3389/fmolb.2021.735303] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2021] [Accepted: 09/02/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Methionine is an essential amino acid used, beyond protein synthesis, for polyamine formation and DNA/RNA/protein methylation. Cancer cells require particularly high methionine supply for their homeostasis. A successful approach for decreasing methionine concentration is based on the systemic delivery of methionine γ-lyase (MGL), with in vitro and in vivo studies demonstrating its efficacy in cancer therapy. However, the mechanisms explaining how cancer cells suffer from the absence of methionine more significantly than non-malignant cells are still unclear. We analyzed the outcome of the human colorectal adenocarcinoma cancer cell line HT29 to the exposure of MGL for up to 72 h by monitoring cell viability, proteome expression, histone post-translational modifications, and presence of spurious transcription. The rationale of this study was to verify whether reduced methionine supply would affect chromatin decondensation by changing the levels of histone methylation and therefore increasing genomic instability. MGL treatment showed a time-dependent cytotoxic effect on HT29 cancer cells, with an IC50 of 30 µg/ml, while Hs27 normal cells were less affected, with an IC50 of >460 µg/ml. Although the levels of total histone methylation were not altered, a loss of the silencing histone mark H3K9me2 was observed, as well as a decrease in H4K20me3. Since H3K9me2/3 decorate repetitive DNA elements, we proved by qRT-PCR that MGL treatment leads to an increased expression of major satellite units. Our data indicate that selected histone methylation marks may play major roles in the mechanism of methionine starvation in cancer cells, proving that MGL treatment directly impacts chromatin homeostasis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samanta Raboni
- Interdepartmental Center SITEIA.PARMA, University of Parma, Parma, Italy.,Institute of Biophysics, National Research Center, Pisa, Italy
| | - Serena Montalbano
- Department of Chemistry, Life Sciences and Environmental Sustainability, University of Parma, Parma, Italy
| | - Stephanie Stransky
- Department of Biochemistry, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, United States
| | - Benjamin A Garcia
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Epigenetics Institute, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Annamaria Buschini
- Department of Chemistry, Life Sciences and Environmental Sustainability, University of Parma, Parma, Italy.,Interdepartmental Centre for Molecular and Translational Oncology COMT, University of Parma, Parma, Italy
| | - Stefano Bettati
- Interdepartmental Center SITEIA.PARMA, University of Parma, Parma, Italy.,Institute of Biophysics, National Research Center, Pisa, Italy.,Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Parma, Parma, Italy
| | - Simone Sidoli
- Department of Biochemistry, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, United States
| | - Andrea Mozzarelli
- Institute of Biophysics, National Research Center, Pisa, Italy.,Department of Food and Drug, University of Parma, Parma, Italy
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Dai L, Chen L, Wang W, Lin P. Resveratrol inhibits ACHN cells via regulation of histone acetylation. PHARMACEUTICAL BIOLOGY 2020; 58:231-238. [PMID: 32202448 PMCID: PMC7144206 DOI: 10.1080/13880209.2020.1738503] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2019] [Revised: 01/20/2020] [Accepted: 03/01/2020] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Context: The relationship between resveratrol and histone acetylation in renal cell carcinoma (RCC) has not yet been reported.Objective: To explore the functional role of resveratrol in RCC.Materials and methods: Functional experiments were performed to determine proliferatio n of ACHN cells with treatment of resveratrol (0, 7.8125, 15.625, 31.25 and 62.5 μg/mL, for 12, 24 and 48 h of culture) or 0.1 μM SAHA. The enzyme activities of MMP-2/-9 were measured by gelatine zymography and histone acetylation by Western blot.Results: When the cells were treated with 15.625, 31.25 and 62.5 μg/mL resveratrol, ACHN cells viability was 73.2 ± 3.5%, 61.4 ± 3.1%, 50.2 ± 4.7% for 12 h, 62.7 ± 4.5%, 52.4 ± 5.5%, 40.2 ± 3.8% for 24 h, and 60.8 ± 3.7%, 39.4 ± 5.1%, 37.6 ± 2.7% for 48 h, and the wound closure (%) of migration was increased from 0.6 to 0.7, 0.85, 0.9 for 12 h and from 0.23 to 0.3, 0.48, 0.59 for 24 h. The invasion rate was 8.5 ± 0.9%, 7.4 ± 0.3% and 5.8 ± 0.6%, and cell cycle was arrested at G1 from 42.5 ± 2.9% to 55.3 ± 5.7%, 59.8 ± 3.4%, 68.7 ± 4.6%. MMP-2/-9 expression (p < 0.05) was inhibited by resveratrol. The protein levels of histone acetylation (p < 0.01) was increased by resveratrol.Discussion and conclusions: Our results suggest that these effects might be related to a high level of histone acetylation, and resveratrol can be considered as an alternative treatment for RCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lili Dai
- Department of Science and Education, Jiujiang University Clinical Medical College, Jiujiang, China
| | - Lingyan Chen
- Department of Rehabilitation, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Wenjing Wang
- TCM Basic Clinical Research Office, Guiyang University of Chinese Medicine, Guiyang, China
| | - Peizheng Lin
- Department of Encephalopathy, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China
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Zamai L. Unveiling Human Non-Random Genome Editing Mechanisms Activated in Response to Chronic Environmental Changes: I. Where Might These Mechanisms Come from and What Might They Have Led To? Cells 2020; 9:E2362. [PMID: 33121045 PMCID: PMC7693803 DOI: 10.3390/cells9112362] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2020] [Revised: 10/18/2020] [Accepted: 10/19/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
This article challenges the notion of the randomness of mutations in eukaryotic cells by unveiling stress-induced human non-random genome editing mechanisms. To account for the existence of such mechanisms, I have developed molecular concepts of the cell environment and cell environmental stressors and, making use of a large quantity of published data, hypothesised the origin of some crucial biological leaps along the evolutionary path of life on Earth under the pressure of natural selection, in particular, (1) virus-cell mating as a primordial form of sexual recombination and symbiosis; (2) Lamarckian CRISPR-Cas systems; (3) eukaryotic gene development; (4) antiviral activity of retrotransposon-guided mutagenic enzymes; and finally, (5) the exaptation of antiviral mutagenic mechanisms to stress-induced genome editing mechanisms directed at "hyper-transcribed" endogenous genes. Genes transcribed at their maximum rate (hyper-transcribed), yet still unable to meet new chronic environmental demands generated by "pollution", are inadequate and generate more and more intronic retrotransposon transcripts. In this scenario, RNA-guided mutagenic enzymes (e.g., Apolipoprotein B mRNA editing catalytic polypeptide-like enzymes, APOBECs), which have been shown to bind to retrotransposon RNA-repetitive sequences, would be surgically targeted by intronic retrotransposons on opened chromatin regions of the same "hyper-transcribed" genes. RNA-guided mutagenic enzymes may therefore "Lamarkianly" generate single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) and gene copy number variations (CNV), as well as transposon transposition and chromosomal translocations in the restricted areas of hyper-functional and inadequate genes, leaving intact the rest of the genome. CNV and SNP of hyper-transcribed genes may allow cells to surgically explore a new fitness scenario, which increases their adaptability to stressful environmental conditions. Like the mechanisms of immunoglobulin somatic hypermutation, non-random genome editing mechanisms may generate several cell mutants, and those codifying for the most environmentally adequate proteins would have a survival advantage and would therefore be Darwinianly selected. Non-random genome editing mechanisms represent tools of evolvability leading to organismal adaptation including transgenerational non-Mendelian gene transmission or to death of environmentally inadequate genomes. They are a link between environmental changes and biological novelty and plasticity, finally providing a molecular basis to reconcile gene-centred and "ecological" views of evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Loris Zamai
- Department of Biomolecular Sciences, University of Urbino Carlo Bo, 61029 Urbino, Italy; ; Tel./Fax: +39-0722-304-319
- National Institute for Nuclear Physics (INFN)-Gran Sasso National Laboratory (LNGS), 67100 Assergi, L’Aquila, Italy
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Aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase inhibition activates a pathway that branches from the canonical amino acid response in mammalian cells. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2020; 117:8900-8911. [PMID: 32253314 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1913788117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Signaling pathways that sense amino acid abundance are integral to tissue homeostasis and cellular defense. Our laboratory has previously shown that halofuginone (HF) inhibits the prolyl-tRNA synthetase catalytic activity of glutamyl-prolyl-tRNA synthetase (EPRS), thereby activating the amino acid response (AAR). We now show that HF treatment selectively inhibits inflammatory responses in diverse cell types and that these therapeutic benefits occur in cells that lack GCN2, the signature effector of the AAR. Depletion of arginine, histidine, or lysine from cultured fibroblast-like synoviocytes recapitulates key aspects of HF treatment, without utilizing GCN2 or mammalian target of rapamycin complex 1 pathway signaling. Like HF, the threonyl-tRNA synthetase inhibitor borrelidin suppresses the induction of tissue remodeling and inflammatory mediators in cytokine-stimulated fibroblast-like synoviocytes without GCN2, but both aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase (aaRS) inhibitors are sensitive to the removal of GCN1. GCN1, an upstream component of the AAR pathway, binds to ribosomes and is required for GCN2 activation. These observations indicate that aaRS inhibitors, like HF, can modulate inflammatory response without the AAR/GCN2 signaling cassette, and that GCN1 has a role that is distinct from its activation of GCN2. We propose that GCN1 participates in a previously unrecognized amino acid sensor pathway that branches from the canonical AAR.
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