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Tang X, Zhang L, Huang M, Wang F, Xie G, Huo R, Gao R. Selective enhanced cytotoxicity of amino acid deprivation for cancer therapy using thermozyme functionalized nanocatalyst. J Nanobiotechnology 2024; 22:53. [PMID: 38326899 PMCID: PMC10848425 DOI: 10.1186/s12951-024-02326-6] [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] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2023] [Accepted: 01/30/2024] [Indexed: 02/09/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Enzyme therapy based on differential metabolism of cancer cells has demonstrated promising potential as a treatment strategy. Nevertheless, the therapeutic benefit of reported enzyme drugs is compromised by their uncontrollable activity and weak stability. Additionally, thermozymes with high thermal-stability suffer from low catalytic activity at body temperature, preventing them from functioning independently. RESULTS Herein, we have developed a novel thermo-enzymatic regulation strategy for near-infrared (NIR)-triggered precise-catalyzed photothermal treatment of breast cancer. Our strategy enables efficient loading and delivery of thermozymes (newly screened therapeutic enzymes from thermophilic bacteria) via hyaluronic acid (HA)-coupled gold nanorods (GNRs). These nanocatalysts exhibit enhanced cellular endocytosis and rapid enzyme activity enhancement, while also providing biosafety with minimized toxic effects on untargeted sites due to temperature-isolated thermozyme activity. Locally-focused NIR lasers ensure effective activation of thermozymes to promote on-demand amino acid deprivation and photothermal therapy (PTT) of superficial tumors, triggering apoptosis, G1 phase cell cycle arrest, inhibiting migration and invasion, and potentiating photothermal sensitivity of malignancies. CONCLUSIONS This work establishes a precise, remotely controlled, non-invasive, efficient, and biosafe nanoplatform for accurate enzyme therapy, providing a rationale for promising personalized therapeutic strategies and offering new prospects for high-precision development of enzyme drugs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiuhui Tang
- Key Laboratory for Molecular Enzymology and Engineering of Ministry of Education, School of Life Sciences, Jilin University, Changchun, 130012, China
| | - Lijuan Zhang
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Jilin University, Changchun, 130021, China
| | - Mingwang Huang
- Key Laboratory for Molecular Enzymology and Engineering of Ministry of Education, School of Life Sciences, Jilin University, Changchun, 130012, China
| | - Fang Wang
- Key Laboratory for Molecular Enzymology and Engineering of Ministry of Education, School of Life Sciences, Jilin University, Changchun, 130012, China
| | - Guiqiu Xie
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Jilin University, Changchun, 130021, China
| | - Rui Huo
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Jilin University, Changchun, 130021, China
| | - Renjun Gao
- Key Laboratory for Molecular Enzymology and Engineering of Ministry of Education, School of Life Sciences, Jilin University, Changchun, 130012, China.
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Lee J, Keam B, Kim S, Heo JN, Joung E, Kim M, Kim TM, Kim DW, Heo DS. The antitumor activity of a novel GCN2 inhibitor in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma cell lines. Transl Oncol 2022; 27:101592. [PMID: 36436443 DOI: 10.1016/j.tranon.2022.101592] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2022] [Revised: 11/03/2022] [Accepted: 11/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND General control nonderepressible 2 (GCN2) senses amino acid deprivation and activates activating transcription factor 4 (ATF4), which regulates many adaptive genes. We evaluated the impact of AST-0513, a novel GCN2 inhibitor, on the GCN2-ATF4 pathway. Additionally, we evaluated the antitumor effects of AST-0513 in amino acid deprivation in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) cell lines. METHODS GCN2 expression in HNSCC patient tissues was measured by immunohistochemistry. Five HNSCC cell lines (SNU-1041, SNU-1066, SNU-1076, Detroit-562, FaDu) grown under amino acid deprivation conditions, were treated with AST-0513. After AST-0513 treatment, cell proliferation was measured by CCK-8 assay. Flow cytometry was used to evaluate apoptosis and cell cycle phase. In addition, immunoblotting was performed to evaluate the effect of AST-0513 on the GCN2-ATF4 pathway, cell cycle arrest, and apoptosis. RESULTS We demonstrated that GCN2 was highly expressed in HNSCC patient tissues. AST-0513 inhibited the GCN2-ATF4 pathway in all five HNSCC cell lines. Inhibiting the GCN2-ATF4 pathway during amino acid deprivation reduced HNSCC cell proliferation and prevented adaptation to nutrient stress. Moreover, AST-0513 treatment led to p21 and Cyclin B1 accumulation and G2/M phase cycle arrest. Also, apoptosis was increased, consistent with increased bax expression, increased bcl-xL phosphorylation, and decreased bcl-2 expression. CONCLUSION A novel GCN2 inhibitor, AST-0513, inhibited the GCN2-ATF4 pathway and has antitumor activity that inhibits proliferation and promotes cell cycle arrest and apoptosis. Considering the high expression of GCN2 in HNSCC patients, these results suggest the potential role of GCN2 inhibitor for the treatment of HNSCC.
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Li X, Sun L, Yan G, Yan X. PFKP facilitates ATG4B phosphorylation during amino acid deprivation-induced autophagy. Cell Signal 2021; 82:109956. [PMID: 33607258 DOI: 10.1016/j.cellsig.2021.109956] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [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: 11/14/2020] [Revised: 01/29/2021] [Accepted: 02/13/2021] [Indexed: 12/09/2022]
Abstract
ATG4B facilitates autophagy by promoting autophagosome maturation through the reversible lipidation and delipidation of LC3. Recent reports have shown that phosphorylation of ATG4B regulates its activity and LC3 processing, leading to modulate autophagy activity. However, the mechanism about how ATG4B phosphorylation is involved in amino acid deprivation-induced autophagy is unclear. Here, we combined the tandem affinity purification with mass spectrometry (MS) and identified the ATG4B-interacting proteins including its well-known partner gamma-aminobutyric acid receptor-associated protein (GABARAP, a homolog of LC3) and phosphofructokinase 1 platelet isoform (PFKP). Further immunoprecipitation assays showed that amino acid deprivation strengthened the interaction between ATG4B and PFKP. By genetic depletion of PFKP using CRISPR/Cas9, we uncovered that PFKP loss reduced the degradation of LC3-II and p62 due to a partial block in autophagic flux. Furthermore, MS analysis of Flag-tagged ATG4B immunoprecipitates identified phosphorylation of ATG4B serine 34 residue (S34) and PFKP serine 386 residue (S386) under amino acid deprivation condition. In vitro kinase assay validated that PFKP functioning as a protein kinase phosphorylated ATG4B at S34. This phosphorylation could enhance ATG4B activity and p62 degradation. In addition, PFKP S386 phosphorylation was important to ATG4B S34 phosphorylation and autophagy in HEK293T cells. In brief, our findings describe that PFKP, a rate-limiting enzyme in the glycolytic pathway, functions as a protein kinase for ATG4B to regulate ATG4B activity and autophagy under amino acid deprivation condition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiuzhi Li
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Animal Sciences and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei 430070, China; The Cooperative Innovation Center for Sustainable Pig Production, Wuhan, Hubei 430070, China; Hubei Provincial Engineering Laboratory for Pig Precision Feeding and Feed Safety Technology, Wuhan, Hubei 430070, China
| | - Lingling Sun
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Animal Sciences and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei 430070, China; The Cooperative Innovation Center for Sustainable Pig Production, Wuhan, Hubei 430070, China; Hubei Provincial Engineering Laboratory for Pig Precision Feeding and Feed Safety Technology, Wuhan, Hubei 430070, China
| | - Guokai Yan
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Animal Sciences and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei 430070, China; The Cooperative Innovation Center for Sustainable Pig Production, Wuhan, Hubei 430070, China; Hubei Provincial Engineering Laboratory for Pig Precision Feeding and Feed Safety Technology, Wuhan, Hubei 430070, China
| | - Xianghua Yan
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Animal Sciences and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei 430070, China; The Cooperative Innovation Center for Sustainable Pig Production, Wuhan, Hubei 430070, China; Hubei Provincial Engineering Laboratory for Pig Precision Feeding and Feed Safety Technology, Wuhan, Hubei 430070, China.
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Hyroššová P, Aragó M, Moreno-Felici J, Fu X, Mendez-Lucas A, García-Rovés PM, Burgess S, Figueras A, Viñals F, Perales JC. PEPCK-M recoups tumor cell anabolic potential in a PKC-ζ-dependent manner. Cancer Metab 2021; 9:1. [PMID: 33413684 PMCID: PMC7791766 DOI: 10.1186/s40170-020-00236-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2020] [Accepted: 12/03/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Mitochondrial phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (PEPCK-M; PCK2) is expressed in all cancer types examined and in neuroprogenitor cells. The gene is upregulated by amino acid limitation and ER-stress in an ATF4-dependent manner, and its activity modulates the PEP/Ca2+ signaling axis, providing clear arguments for a functional relationship with metabolic adaptations for cell survival. Despite its potential relevance to cancer metabolism, the mechanisms responsible for its pro-survival activity have not been completely elucidated. Methods [U-13C]glutamine and [U-13C]glucose labeling of glycolytic and TCA cycle intermediates and their anabolic end-products was evaluated quantitatively using LC/MS and GC/MS in conditions of abundant glucose and glucose limitation in loss-of-function (shRNA) and gain-of-function (lentiviral constitutive overexpression) HeLa cervix carcinoma cell models. Cell viability was assessed in conjunction with various glucose concentrations and in xenografts in vivo. Results PEPCK-M levels linearly correlated with [U-13C]glutamine label abundance in most glycolytic and TCA cycle intermediate pools under nutritional stress. In particular, serine, glycine, and proline metabolism, and the anabolic potential of the cell, were sensitive to PEPCK-M activity. Therefore, cell viability defects could be rescued by supplementing with an excess of those amino acids. PEPCK-M silenced or inhibited cells in the presence of abundant glucose showed limited growth secondary to TCA cycle blockade and increased ROS. In limiting glucose conditions, downregulation of PKC-ζ tumor suppressor has been shown to enhance survival. Consistently, HeLa cells also sustained a survival advantage when PKC-ζ tumor suppressor was downregulated using shRNA, but this advantage was abolished in the absence of PEPCK-M, as its inhibition restores cell growth to control levels. The relationship between these two pathways is also highlighted by the anti-correlation observed between PEPCK-M and PKC-ζ protein levels in all clones tested, suggesting co-regulation in the absence of glucose. Finally, PEPCK-M loss negatively impacted on anchorage-independent colony formation and xenograft growth in vivo. Conclusions All in all, our data suggest that PEPCK-M might participate in the mechanisms to regulate proteostasis in the anabolic and stalling phases of tumor growth. We provide molecular clues into the clinical relevance of PEPCK-M as a mechanism of evasion of cancer cells in conditions of nutrient stress. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s40170-020-00236-3.
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Affiliation(s)
- Petra Hyroššová
- Department of Physiological Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Barcelona, Feixa Llarga s/n, 08907, L'Hospitalet del Llobregat, Spain
| | - Marc Aragó
- Department of Physiological Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Barcelona, Feixa Llarga s/n, 08907, L'Hospitalet del Llobregat, Spain
| | - Juan Moreno-Felici
- Department of Physiological Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Barcelona, Feixa Llarga s/n, 08907, L'Hospitalet del Llobregat, Spain
| | - Xiarong Fu
- Center for Human Nutrition and Department of Pharmacology, University of Texas, Dallas, 75390, USA
| | - Andrés Mendez-Lucas
- Department of Physiological Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Barcelona, Feixa Llarga s/n, 08907, L'Hospitalet del Llobregat, Spain
| | - Pablo M García-Rovés
- Department of Physiological Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Barcelona, Feixa Llarga s/n, 08907, L'Hospitalet del Llobregat, Spain
| | - Shawn Burgess
- Center for Human Nutrition and Department of Pharmacology, University of Texas, Dallas, 75390, USA
| | - Agnès Figueras
- IDIBELL, Gran Via de l'Hospitalet 199, 08908, L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Spain
| | - Francesc Viñals
- IDIBELL, Gran Via de l'Hospitalet 199, 08908, L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Spain
| | - Jose C Perales
- Department of Physiological Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Barcelona, Feixa Llarga s/n, 08907, L'Hospitalet del Llobregat, Spain. .,IDIBELL, Gran Via de l'Hospitalet 199, 08908, L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Spain.
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Roussel G, Stevens V, Cottin S, McArdle HJ. The effect of amino acid deprivation on the transfer of iron through Caco-2 cell monolayers. J Trace Elem Med Biol 2017; 40:82-90. [PMID: 28159226 DOI: 10.1016/j.jtemb.2016.12.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2016] [Accepted: 12/31/2016] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Iron (Fe) metabolism is modified by many nutritional factors. Amino acids (AA) play a central role in various biological processes, such as protein synthesis and energy supply. However, the influence of AA status on iron metabolism has not been investigated. Here, we test whether AA alters iron metabolism in an intestinal cell model. Both Fe uptake and transfer across the cell monolayer were significantly increased by non-essential AA deficiency (both p<0.001) while only Fe transfer was increased by essential AA deficiency (p<0.0001). Both essential and non-essential AA deficiency decreased DMT1 (±IRE) exon1A mRNA expression (respectively p=0.0007 and p=0.006) and increased expression of ferritin heavy chain. DMT1+IRE (also expressing exon1A or 1B) mRNA levels were decreased by essential AA deficiency (p=0.012). The mRNA levels of total DMT1 were also decreased by essential, but not non-essential, AA deficiency (p=0.006). Hepcidin levels were increased significantly by non-essential amino acid deprivation (p=0.047). Protein levels of ferroportin and/or ferritin heavy chain were not altered by AA deficiency, suggesting that they had no effect on Fe efflux or storage in the cell, though iron content of ferritin could be increased. Our data demonstrate, for the first time, that AA status affects iron transport and the expression of genes related to iron metabolism in Caco-2 cells, although the changes observed are not sufficient to explain the alteration in iron transport. We hypothesise that the effect on Fe transfer is mediated through an increased movement across the cell layer, rather than transfer across the cell membranes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guenievre Roussel
- Rowett Institute of Nutrition and Health, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, UK.
| | - Valerie Stevens
- Rowett Institute of Nutrition and Health, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, UK.
| | - Sarah Cottin
- Rowett Institute of Nutrition and Health, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, UK.
| | - Harry J McArdle
- Rowett Institute of Nutrition and Health, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, UK.
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Yang Y, Li W, Sun Y, Han F, Hu CAA, Wu Z. Amino acid deprivation disrupts barrier function and induces protective autophagy in intestinal porcine epithelial cells. Amino Acids 2014; 47:2177-84. [PMID: 25287255 DOI: 10.1007/s00726-014-1844-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [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: 04/06/2014] [Accepted: 09/16/2014] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
The integrity of intestinal barrier is essential for the absorption of nutrients and health in humans and animals. Dysfunction of the mucosal barrier is associated with increased gut permeability and development of various gastrointestinal diseases. Aside from serving as substrates for protein biosynthesis, amino acids also maintain the health of intestinal mucosal barrier. However, the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. We aimed to determine the effect and mechanism of non-essential amino acid (NEAA) deprivation on intestinal tight junction permeability using porcine intestinal epithelial cells as a model. We found that NEAA deprivation led to an impairment of barrier function as evidenced by increased permeability, decreased trans-epithelial resistance, and decreased expression of tight junction proteins claudin-1 and ZO-1. Importantly, NEAA deprivation induced both apoptosis and autophagy as shown by caspase-3 activation, and poly ADP-ribose polymerase cleavage; and LC3II lipidation and p62 degradation, hallmarks of apoptosis and autophagy, respectively. Importantly, we showed that the autophagy induced by NEAA deprivation counteracts apoptosis. Abrogation of autophagy by 3-methyladenine enhanced NEAA deprivation-induced barrier dysfunction and apoptosis; whereas, activation of autophagy by rapamycin partially rescued NEAA deprivation-induced barrier dysfunction and apoptosis. Taken together, our results demonstrate a critical role of NEAA on the mucosal integrity by regulating cell death and survival signaling pathways.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ying Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Animal Nutrition, Department of Animal Nutrition and Feed Science, College of Animal Science and Technology, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100193, People's Republic of China
| | - Wei Li
- State Key Laboratory of Animal Nutrition, Department of Animal Nutrition and Feed Science, College of Animal Science and Technology, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100193, People's Republic of China
| | - Yuli Sun
- State Key Laboratory of Animal Nutrition, Department of Animal Nutrition and Feed Science, College of Animal Science and Technology, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100193, People's Republic of China
| | - Feng Han
- State Key Laboratory of Animal Nutrition, Department of Animal Nutrition and Feed Science, College of Animal Science and Technology, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100193, People's Republic of China
| | - Chien-An A Hu
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of New Mexico School of Medicine, Albuquerque, NM, 87131-0001, USA
| | - Zhenlong Wu
- State Key Laboratory of Animal Nutrition, Department of Animal Nutrition and Feed Science, College of Animal Science and Technology, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100193, People's Republic of China.
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Salgado MC, Metón I, Anemaet IG, Baanante IV. Activating transcription factor 4 mediates up-regulation of alanine aminotransferase 2 gene expression under metabolic stress. Biochim Biophys Acta 2014; 1839:288-96. [PMID: 24418603 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbagrm.2014.01.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2013] [Revised: 12/18/2013] [Accepted: 01/06/2014] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Alanine aminotransferase (ALT) provides a molecular link between carbohydrate and amino acid metabolism. In humans, two ALT isoforms have been characterized: ALT1, cytosolic, and ALT2, mitochondrial. To gain insight into the transcriptional regulation of the ALT2 gene, we cloned and characterized the human ALT2 promoter. 5'-deletion analysis of ALT2 promoter in transiently transfected HepG2 cells and site-directed mutagenesis allowed us to identify ATF4 as a new factor involved in the transcriptional regulation of ALT2 expression. Quantitative RT-PCR assays showed that the metabolic stressors histidinol and tunicamycin increased ATF4 levels and up-regulated ALT2 in HepG2 and Huh7 cells. Consistently, knock-down of ATF4 decreased ALT2 mRNA levels in HepG2 and Huh-7 cells. Moreover, ATF4 silencing prevented the activating effect of histidinol and tunicamycin on ATF4 and ALT2 expression. Our findings point to ALT2 as an enzyme involved in the metabolic adaptation of the cell to stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- María C Salgado
- Departament de Bioquímica i Biologia Molecular, Facultat de Farmàcia, Universitat de Barcelona, Joan XXIII s/n, 08028 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Isidoro Metón
- Departament de Bioquímica i Biologia Molecular, Facultat de Farmàcia, Universitat de Barcelona, Joan XXIII s/n, 08028 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Ida G Anemaet
- Departament de Bioquímica i Biologia Molecular, Facultat de Farmàcia, Universitat de Barcelona, Joan XXIII s/n, 08028 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Isabel V Baanante
- Departament de Bioquímica i Biologia Molecular, Facultat de Farmàcia, Universitat de Barcelona, Joan XXIII s/n, 08028 Barcelona, Spain.
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