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Murphy AR, Asif H, Cingoz H, Gourronc FA, Ankrum JA, Klingelhutz AJ, Kim JJ. The Impact of High Adiposity on Endometrial Progesterone Response and Metallothionein Regulation. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2024:dgae236. [PMID: 38597153 DOI: 10.1210/clinem/dgae236] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2023] [Revised: 03/21/2024] [Accepted: 04/08/2024] [Indexed: 04/11/2024]
Abstract
CONTEXT Obesity is a disease with deleterious effects on the female reproductive tract, including the endometrium. OBJECTIVE We sought to understand the effects of excess adipose on the benign endometrium. DESIGN A physiologic in vitro coculture system was developed, consisting of multicellular human endometrial organoids, adipose spheroids, and menstrual cycle hormones. Native human endometrial tissue samples women with and without obesity were also analyzed. SETTING Academic institution. PATIENTS Benign endometrial tissues from premenopausal women were obtained following written consent. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Gene expression, protein expression, chromatin binding, and expression of DNA damage and oxidative damage markers were measured. RESULTS Under high-adiposity conditions, endometrial organoids downregulated endometrial secretory phase genes, suggestive of an altered progesterone response. Progesterone specifically upregulated the metallothionein (MT) gene family in the epithelial cells of endometrial organoids, while high adiposity significantly downregulated the MT genes. Silencing MT genes in endometrial epithelial cells resulted in increased DNA damage, illustrating the protective role of MTs. Native endometrium from women with obesity displayed increased MT expression and oxidative damage in the stroma and not in the epithelium, indicating the cell-specific impact of obesity on MT genes. CONCLUSIONS Taken together, the in vitro and in vivo systems used here revealed that high adiposity or obesity can alter MT expression by decreasing progesterone response in the epithelial cells and increasing oxidative stress in the stroma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alina R Murphy
- Division of Reproductive Science in Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Huma Asif
- Division of Reproductive Science in Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Harun Cingoz
- Division of Reproductive Science in Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Françoise A Gourronc
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA
| | - James A Ankrum
- Roy J. Carver Department of Biomedical Engineering, Pappajohn Biomedical Institute, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA
| | - Aloysius J Klingelhutz
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA
| | - J Julie Kim
- Division of Reproductive Science in Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA
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Amici DR, Cingoz H, Alasady MJ, Alhayek S, Phoumyvong CM, Sahni N, Yi SS, Mendillo ML. The HAPSTR2 retrogene buffers stress signaling and resilience in mammals. Nat Commun 2023; 14:152. [PMID: 36631436 PMCID: PMC9834230 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-35697-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2022] [Accepted: 12/20/2022] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
We recently identified HAPSTR1 (C16orf72) as a key component in a novel pathway which regulates the cellular response to molecular stressors, such as DNA damage, nutrient scarcity, and protein misfolding. Here, we identify a functional paralog to HAPSTR1: HAPSTR2. HAPSTR2 formed early in mammalian evolution, via genomic integration of a reverse transcribed HAPSTR1 transcript, and has since been preserved under purifying selection. HAPSTR2, expressed primarily in neural and germline tissues and a subset of cancers, retains established biochemical features of HAPSTR1 to achieve two functions. In normal physiology, HAPSTR2 directly interacts with HAPSTR1, markedly augmenting HAPSTR1 protein stability in a manner independent from HAPSTR1's canonical E3 ligase, HUWE1. Alternatively, in the context of HAPSTR1 loss, HAPSTR2 expression is sufficient to buffer stress signaling and resilience. Thus, we discover a mammalian retrogene which safeguards fitness.
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Affiliation(s)
- David R Amici
- Dept. of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, 60610, USA
- Simpson Querrey Center for Epigenetics, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, 60610, USA
- Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, 60610, USA
| | - Harun Cingoz
- Dept. of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, 60610, USA
- Simpson Querrey Center for Epigenetics, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, 60610, USA
- Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, 60610, USA
| | - Milad J Alasady
- Dept. of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, 60610, USA
- Simpson Querrey Center for Epigenetics, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, 60610, USA
- Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, 60610, USA
| | - Sammy Alhayek
- Dept. of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, 60610, USA
- Simpson Querrey Center for Epigenetics, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, 60610, USA
- Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, 60610, USA
| | - Claire M Phoumyvong
- Dept. of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, 60610, USA
- Simpson Querrey Center for Epigenetics, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, 60610, USA
- Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, 60610, USA
| | - Nidhi Sahni
- Department of Epigenetics and Molecular Carcinogenesis, and Department of Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
- Quantitative and Computational Biosciences Program, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - S Stephen Yi
- Livestrong Cancer Institutes, Department of Oncology, and Department of Biomedical Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, 78712, USA
- Interdisciplinary Life Sciences Graduate Programs (ILSGP), and Oden Institute for Computational Engineering and Sciences (ICES), The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, 78712, USA
| | - Marc L Mendillo
- Dept. of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, 60610, USA.
- Simpson Querrey Center for Epigenetics, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, 60610, USA.
- Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, 60610, USA.
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Ozturk H, Cingoz H, Tufan T, Yang J, Adair SJ, Tummala KS, Kuscu C, Kinali M, Comertpay G, Nagdas S, Goudreau BJ, Luleyap HU, Bingul Y, Ware TB, Hwang WL, Hsu KL, Kashatus DF, Ting DT, Chandel NS, Bardeesy N, Bauer TW, Adli M. ISL2 is a putative tumor suppressor whose epigenetic silencing reprograms the metabolism of pancreatic cancer. Dev Cell 2022; 57:1331-1346.e9. [PMID: 35508175 DOI: 10.1016/j.devcel.2022.04.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2021] [Revised: 03/11/2022] [Accepted: 04/08/2022] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDA) cells reprogram their transcriptional and metabolic programs to survive the nutrient-poor tumor microenvironment. Through in vivo CRISPR screening, we discovered islet-2 (ISL2) as a candidate tumor suppressor that modulates aggressive PDA growth. Notably, ISL2, a nuclear and chromatin-associated transcription factor, is epigenetically silenced in PDA tumors and high promoter DNA methylation or its reduced expression correlates with poor patient survival. The exogenous ISL2 expression or CRISPR-mediated upregulation of the endogenous loci reduces cell proliferation. Mechanistically, ISL2 regulates the expression of metabolic genes, and its depletion increases oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS). As such, ISL2-depleted human PDA cells are sensitive to the inhibitors of mitochondrial complex I in vitro and in vivo. Spatial transcriptomic analysis shows heterogeneous intratumoral ISL2 expression, which correlates with the expression of critical metabolic genes. These findings nominate ISL2 as a putative tumor suppressor whose inactivation leads to increased mitochondrial metabolism that may be exploitable therapeutically.
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Affiliation(s)
- Harun Ozturk
- Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Robert Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Chicago, IL 60611, USA
| | - Harun Cingoz
- Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Robert Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Chicago, IL 60611, USA
| | - Turan Tufan
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville, VA 22903, USA
| | - Jiekun Yang
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville, VA 22903, USA
| | - Sara J Adair
- Department of Surgery, University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville, VA 22903, USA
| | | | - Cem Kuscu
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville, VA 22903, USA
| | - Meric Kinali
- Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Robert Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Chicago, IL 60611, USA
| | | | - Sarbajeet Nagdas
- Department of Cell, Immunology and Cancer Biology, University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville, VA 22903, USA
| | - Bernadette J Goudreau
- Department of Surgery, University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville, VA 22903, USA
| | | | - Yagmur Bingul
- Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Robert Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Chicago, IL 60611, USA
| | - Timothy B Ware
- Department of Chemistry, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22904, USA
| | - Wiliam L Hwang
- Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA
| | - Ku-Lung Hsu
- Department of Chemistry, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22904, USA
| | - David F Kashatus
- Department of Cell, Immunology and Cancer Biology, University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville, VA 22903, USA
| | - David T Ting
- Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA
| | - Navdeep S Chandel
- Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Robert Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care and Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, Chicago, IL 60611, USA
| | - Nabeel Bardeesy
- Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA
| | - Todd W Bauer
- Department of Surgery, University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville, VA 22903, USA
| | - Mazhar Adli
- Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Robert Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Chicago, IL 60611, USA.
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Begik O, Ercan M, Cingoz H, Can T, Oyken M, Erson-Bensan AE. Abstract 2360: Deregulated APA and cancer specific APA isoforms. Cancer Res 2018. [DOI: 10.1158/1538-7445.am2018-2360] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Certain aspects of diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment of cancer patients are still important challenges to be addressed. We developed a pipeline to uncover patterns of alternative polyadenylation (APA), a hidden complexity in cancer transcriptomes, to further accelerate efforts to discover novel cancer genes and pathways. Here, we found a significant shift in usage of poly(A) signals in six common tumor types compared to normal tissues. We further defined specific subsets of APA events to efficiently classify cancer types/subtypes. Triple negative breast cancers, for example, have specific 3'UTR length alterations where the significant majority are shortening events (70%, 113 of 165) of mostly proliferation-related transcripts compared with normal breast tissue. Such shortening events correlate with increased protein levels and relapse free survival of patients, suggesting functional significance of isoform variability. In line with this isoform diversity, we also detected deregulated expression of mRNA polyadenylation complex proteins in breast cancer cells. Of note, APA proteins are responsive to proliferative signals including estrogen and epidermal growth factor, suggesting a potential explanation to 3'-end isoform diversity in cancer cells. Overall, our study offers a computational and experimental approach for use of APA in novel gene discovery and classification in common tumor types, with important implications in basic research, biomarker discovery, and precision medicine approaches.
Citation Format: Oguzhan Begik, Melda Ercan, Harun Cingoz, Tolga Can, Merve Oyken, Ayse Elif Erson-Bensan. Deregulated APA and cancer specific APA isoforms [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2018; 2018 Apr 14-18; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2018;78(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 2360.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Tolga Can
- Middle East Technical Univ., Ankara, Turkey
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