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Angenendt L, Bormann E, Pabst C, Alla V, Görlich D, Braun L, Dohlich K, Schwöppe C, Bohlander SK, Arteaga MF, Wethmar K, Hartmann W, Angenendt A, Kessler T, Mesters RM, Stelljes M, Rothenberg-Thurley M, Spiekermann K, Hébert J, Sauvageau G, Valk PJM, Löwenberg B, Serve H, Müller-Tidow C, Lenz G, Wörmann BJ, Sauerland MC, Hiddemann W, Berdel WE, Krug U, Metzeler KH, Mikesch JH, Herold T, Schliemann C. The neuropeptide receptor calcitonin receptor-like (CALCRL) is a potential therapeutic target in acute myeloid leukemia. Leukemia 2019; 33:2830-2841. [PMID: 31182782 DOI: 10.1038/s41375-019-0505-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2019] [Revised: 04/12/2019] [Accepted: 04/18/2019] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Calcitonin receptor-like (CALCRL) is a G-protein-coupled neuropeptide receptor involved in the regulation of blood pressure, angiogenesis, cell proliferation, and apoptosis, and is currently emerging as a novel target for the treatment of migraine. This study characterizes the role of CALCRL in acute myeloid leukemia (AML). We analyzed CALCRL expression in collectively more than 1500 well-characterized AML patients from five international cohorts (AMLCG, HOVON, TCGA, Leucegene, and UKM) and evaluated associations with survival. In the AMLCG analytic cohort, increasing transcript levels of CALCRL were associated with decreasing complete remission rates (71.5%, 53.7%, 49.6% for low, intermediate, high CALCRL expression), 5-year overall (43.1%, 26.2%, 7.1%), and event-free survival (29.9%, 15.8%, 4.7%) (all P < 0.001). CALCRL levels remained associated with all endpoints on multivariable regression analyses. The prognostic impact was confirmed in all validation sets. Genes highly expressed in CALCRLhigh AML were significantly enriched in leukemic stem cell signatures and CALCRL levels were positively linked to the engraftment capacity of primary patient samples in immunocompromised mice. CRISPR-Cas9-mediated knockout of CALCRL significantly impaired colony formation in human myeloid leukemia cell lines. Overall, our study demonstrates that CALCRL predicts outcome beyond existing risk factors and is a potential therapeutic target in AML.
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Affiliation(s)
- Linus Angenendt
- Department of Medicine A, University Hospital Münster, Münster, Germany.
| | - Eike Bormann
- Institute of Biostatistics and Clinical Research, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Caroline Pabst
- Department of Medicine V, University Hospital Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Vijay Alla
- Department of Medicine A, University Hospital Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Dennis Görlich
- Institute of Biostatistics and Clinical Research, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Leonie Braun
- Department of Medicine A, University Hospital Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Kim Dohlich
- Department of Medicine A, University Hospital Münster, Münster, Germany
| | | | - Stefan K Bohlander
- Leukaemia & Blood Cancer Research Unit, Department of Molecular Medicine and Pathology, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | | | - Klaus Wethmar
- Department of Medicine A, University Hospital Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Wolfgang Hartmann
- Gerhard-Domagk-Institute of Pathology, University Hospital Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Adrian Angenendt
- Department of Biophysics, Faculty of Medicine, Centre for Integrative Physiology and Molecular Medicine (CIPMM), Saarland University, Homburg, Germany
| | - Torsten Kessler
- Department of Medicine A, University Hospital Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Rolf M Mesters
- Department of Medicine A, University Hospital Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Matthias Stelljes
- Department of Medicine A, University Hospital Münster, Münster, Germany
| | | | - Karsten Spiekermann
- Department of Medicine III, University Hospital Grosshadern, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Josée Hébert
- The Leucegene Project at Institute for Research in Immunology and Cancer, University of Montreal, Montreal, QC, Canada.,Division of Hematology-Oncology, Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital, Montreal, QC, Canada.,Quebec Leukemia Cell Bank, Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital, Montreal, QC, Canada.,Department of Medicine, University of Montreal, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Guy Sauvageau
- The Leucegene Project at Institute for Research in Immunology and Cancer, University of Montreal, Montreal, QC, Canada.,Division of Hematology-Oncology, Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital, Montreal, QC, Canada.,Quebec Leukemia Cell Bank, Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital, Montreal, QC, Canada.,Department of Medicine, University of Montreal, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Peter J M Valk
- Department of Hematology, Erasmus University Medical Centre, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Bob Löwenberg
- Department of Hematology, Erasmus University Medical Centre, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Hubert Serve
- Department of Hematology and Oncology, University Hospital Frankfurt, Frankfurt, Germany
| | | | - Georg Lenz
- Department of Medicine A, University Hospital Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Bernhard J Wörmann
- Department of Hematology, Oncology and Tumor Immunology, Charité University Medicine, Campus Virchow, Berlin, Germany
| | - M Christina Sauerland
- Institute of Biostatistics and Clinical Research, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Wolfgang Hiddemann
- Department of Medicine III, University Hospital Grosshadern, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Wolfgang E Berdel
- Department of Medicine A, University Hospital Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Utz Krug
- Department of Medicine 3, Klinikum Leverkusen, Leverkusen, Germany
| | - Klaus H Metzeler
- Department of Medicine III, University Hospital Grosshadern, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
| | | | - Tobias Herold
- Department of Medicine III, University Hospital Grosshadern, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany. .,Research Unit Apoptosis in Hematopoietic Stem Cells, Helmholtz Zentrum München, German Center for Environmental Health (HMGU), Munich, Germany.
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Dohlich K, Zumsteg AB, Goosmann C, Kolbe M. A substrate-fusion protein is trapped inside the Type III Secretion System channel in Shigella flexneri. PLoS Pathog 2014; 10:e1003881. [PMID: 24453973 PMCID: PMC3894212 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1003881] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2013] [Accepted: 11/27/2013] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The Type III Secretion System (T3SS) is a macromolecular complex used by Gram-negative bacteria to secrete effector proteins from the cytoplasm across the bacterial envelope in a single step. For many pathogens, the T3SS is an essential virulence factor that enables the bacteria to interact with and manipulate their respective host. A characteristic structural feature of the T3SS is the needle complex (NC). The NC resembles a syringe with a basal body spanning both bacterial membranes and a long needle-like structure that protrudes from the bacterium. Based on the paradigm of a syringe-like mechanism, it is generally assumed that effectors and translocators are unfolded and secreted from the bacterial cytoplasm through the basal body and needle channel. Despite extensive research on T3SS, this hypothesis lacks experimental evidence and the mechanism of secretion is not fully understood. In order to elucidate details of the T3SS secretion mechanism, we generated fusion proteins consisting of a T3SS substrate and a bulky protein containing a knotted motif. Because the knot cannot be unfolded, these fusions are accepted as T3SS substrates but remain inside the NC channel and obstruct the T3SS. To our knowledge, this is the first time substrate fusions have been visualized together with isolated NCs and we demonstrate that substrate proteins are secreted directly through the channel with their N-terminus first. The channel physically encloses the fusion protein and shields it from a protease and chemical modifications. Our results corroborate an elementary understanding of how the T3SS works and provide a powerful tool for in situ-structural investigations in the future. This approach might also be applicable to other protein secretion systems that require unfolding of their substrates prior to secretion. Type III Secretion Systems (T3SS) secrete bacterial effector proteins from the cytoplasm across the cell wall, but mechanistic details of this process remain mostly elusive. We locked the T3SS of Shigella flexneri in an actively secreting state by expression of substrate fusions that consist of a functional translocator and a stably-folded knotted protein. Although recognized as T3SS substrates, the fusions are not released from secreting Shigella and impede transport of other effector proteins by obstructing the T3SS channel. We localized the fusion at isolated channels and observed that the translocator is secreted with the N-terminus first. We further demonstrate that the channel physically encloses the partially transported substrate. Our analysis elucidates important steps of the T3SS mechanism. Furthermore, we developed fusion proteins useful for advanced structural investigations of one of the most complex bacterial virulence devices known and our approach may help to also understand other protein transport mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kim Dohlich
- Structural Systems Biology Group, Max-Planck-Institute for Infection Biology, Berlin, Germany
| | - Anna Brotcke Zumsteg
- Department of Cellular Microbiology, Max-Planck-Institute for Infection Biology, Berlin, Germany
| | - Christian Goosmann
- Microscopy Core Facility, Max-Planck-Institute for Infection Biology, Berlin, Germany
| | - Michael Kolbe
- Structural Systems Biology Group, Max-Planck-Institute for Infection Biology, Berlin, Germany
- * E-mail:
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