Inositol hexakisphosphate kinase 1 is a metabolic sensor in pancreatic ß-cells.

Diphosphoinositol pentakisphosphate (IP7) is critical for the exocytotic capacity of the pancreatic ß-cell, but its regulation by the primary instigator of ß-cell exocytosis, glucose, is unknown. The high Km for ATP of the IP7-generating enzymes, the inositol hexakisphosphate kinases (IP6K1 and 2) suggests that these enzymes might serve as metabolic sensors in insulin secreting ß-cells and act as translators of disrupted metabolism in diabetes. We investigated this hypothesis and now show that glucose stimulation, which increases the ATP/ADP ratio, leads to an early rise in IP7 concentration in ß-cells. RNAi mediated knock down of the IP6K1 isoform inhibits both glucose-mediated increase in IP7 and first phase insulin secretion, demonstrating that IP6K1 integrates glucose metabolism and insulin exocytosis. In diabetic mouse islets the deranged ATP/ADP levels under both basal and glucose-stimulated conditions are mirrored in both disrupted IP7 generation and insulin release. Thus the unique metabolic sensing properties of IP6K1 guarantees appropriate concentrations of IP7 and thereby both correct basal insulin secretion and intact first phase insulin release. In addition, our data suggest that a specific cell signaling defect, namely, inappropriate IP7 generation may be an essential convergence point integrating multiple metabolic defects into the commonly observed phenotype in diabetes.

A role for PKCepsilon during C2C12 myogenic differentiation.

In a previous report we have demonstrated that PLCgamma1 is involved in the differentiation process of C2C12 myoblasts, induced by insulin administration. In order to identify the downstream targets of PLCgamma1-dependent signalling, we have analyzed the expression of DAG-dependent PKC isoforms during muscle differentiation. We show that during myotube formation, there is a marked increase of PKCepsilon and eta expression, and that PKCepsilon is able to form a complex with PLCgamma1. The increase in PKCepsilon amount during myogenic differentiation is associated to an increase in PKCepsilon activity as well. Immunofluorescence analysis indicated that in growing C2C12 cells both PLCgamma1 and PKCepsilon localize in the cytoplasm with a distinct perinuclear accumulation. In insulin-treated cells, the expression of PLCgamma1 and PKCepsilon increases and the two proteins are still distributed mainly in the perinuclear region of the myotubes. We show that PLCgamma1-PKCepsilon complex co-localizes with protein 58K, a specific Golgi marker. Moreover, our results indicate that the Golgi-associated PKCepsilon form, i.e. PKCepsilon phosphorylated at Ser 729, is increased in differentiated myoblasts. Since it has been previously demonstrated that in C2C12 cells after insulin administration cyclin D3 levels could be modulated by PLCgamma1, we analyzed the effect on cyclin D3 expression of either PKCepsilon overexpression or silencing, in order to investigate whether PKCepsilon could also affect cyclin D3 expression. The results showed that either a modification of PKCepsilon expression or a change in its catalytic activity determines a variation of cyclin D3 levels and muscle differentiation in terms of myogenin expression. These data support a role for PKCepsilon in regulating insulin inositide-dependent PLCgamma1 signalling in skeletal muscle differentiation.

Identification of a functional nuclear export sequence in diacylglycerol kinase-zeta.

Diacylglycerol kinases (DGKs) are key regulators of diacylglycerol-dependent signaling pathways. Among the 10 DGK isoforms, DGK-zeta is the only nuclear form that contains a nuclear localization signal. Here, by site-directed mutagenesis, we showed that DGK-zeta also displays a functional independent nuclear export signal (NES) sequence between the amino acid residues 362-370. Indeed, the NES mutant forms of DGK-zeta accumulated in the nucleus to a much greater extent than wildtype DGK-zeta. Moreover, treatment with leptomycin B, an inhibitor of leucine-rich type NES, resulted in accumulation of both endogenous and ectopically expressed DGK-zeta in the nucleus, demonstrating that nuclear export of DGK-zeta is chromosome regional maintenance protein 1 (CRM1)-dependent. Previously, we reported that nuclear DGK-zeta is a negative regulator of cell cycle progression in C2C12 mouse myoblasts. In this paper, we documented that enhancement of DGK-zeta nuclear localization by NES sequence mutation, increases G(0)/G(1) block in C2C12 cells. Overall, our data demonstrate that DGK-zeta export from nucleus to cytoplasm is regulated by a leucine-rich NES through the exportin CRM1 and suggest that the nuclear localization of DGK-zeta could finely tune its function as a regulator of G(1)/S cell cycle transition.

Inositol pyrophosphates: structure, enzymology and function.

The stereochemistry of the inositol backbone provides a platform on which to generate a vast array of distinct molecular motifs that are used to convey information both in signal transduction and many other critical areas of cell biology. Diphosphoinositol phosphates, or inositol pyrophosphates, are the most recently characterized members of the inositide family. They represent a new frontier with both novel targets within the cell and novel modes of action. This includes the proposed pyrophosphorylation of a unique subset of proteins. We review recent insights into the structures of these molecules and the properties of the enzymes which regulate their concentration. These enzymes also act independently of their catalytic activity via protein-protein interactions. This unique combination of enzymes and products has an important role in diverse cellular processes including vesicle trafficking, endo- and exocytosis, apoptosis, telomere length regulation, chromatin hyperrecombination, the response to osmotic stress, and elements of nucleolar function.

TIS21/BTG2/PC3 and cyclin D1 are key determinants of nuclear diacylglycerol kinase-zeta-dependent cell cycle arrest.

In addition to lipid second messengers derived from the plasma membrane, increasing evidence supports the existence of nuclear lipid-dependent signaling networks. Diacylglycerol is a key second messenger, generated at the nuclear level, which is metabolized by diacylglycerol kinases (DGKs). It has been demonstrated that nuclear DGK-zeta negatively regulates cell cycle progression. The aim of this study was to identify key determinants of nuclear DGK-zeta-dependent cell cycle arrest in C2C12 mouse myoblasts. Using DNA microarrays, Real-Time RT-PCR and western blot, we demonstrated that nuclear DGK-zeta downregulated the expression of cyclin D1 and increased the expression of TIS21/BTG2/PC3, a transcriptional regulator of cyclin D1 with a strong anti-proliferative function. Overexpression of TIS21/BTG2/PC3 blocked the cells in G1 phase of the cell cycle and decreased the levels of Ser807/811 phosphorylated retinoblastoma protein, similarly to overexpression of DGK-zeta. Moreover, during myogenic differentiation of C2C12 cells, we showed an increase of TIS21/BTG2/PC3 expression and a decrease in cyclin D1 levels. siRNA downregulation of TIS21/ BTG2/PC3 impaired myogenic differentiation by opposing cell cycle arrest. In summary, these data identify TIS21/BTG2/PC3 and cyclin D1 as downstream effectors of nuclear DGK-zeta and highlight the importance of this DGK isoform in the regulation of myoblast proliferation and differentiation.

Catalytic activity of nuclear PLC-beta(1) is required for its signalling function during C2C12 differentiation.

Here we report that PLC-beta(1) catalytic activity plays a role in the increase of cyclin D3 levels and induces the differentiation of C2C12 skeletal muscle cells. PLC-beta(1) mutational analysis revealed the importance of His(331) and His(378) for the catalysis. The expression of PLC-beta(1) and cyclin D3 proteins is highly induced during the process of skeletal myoblast differentiation. We have previously shown that PLC-beta(1) activates cyclin D3 promoter during the differentiation of myoblasts to myotubes, indicating that PLC-beta(1) is a crucial regulator of the mouse cyclin D3 gene. We show that after insulin treatment cyclin D3 mRNA levels are lower in cells overexpressing the PLC-beta(1) catalytically inactive form in comparison to wild type cells. We describe a novel signalling pathway elicited by PLC-beta(1) that modulates AP-1 activity. Gel mobility shift assay and supershift performed with specific antibodies indicate that the c-jun binding site is located in a cyclin D3 promoter region specifically regulated by PLC-beta(1) and that c-Jun binding activity is significantly increased by insulin and PLC-beta(1) overexpression. Mutation of AP-1 site decreased the basal cyclin D3 promoter activity and eliminated its induction by insulin and PLC-beta(1). These results hint at the fact that PLC-beta(1) catalytic activity signals a c-jun/AP-1 target gene, i.e. cyclin D3, during myogenic differentiation.

Inositide-dependent phospholipase C signaling mimics insulin in skeletal muscle differentiation by affecting specific regions of the cyclin D3 promoter.

Our main goal in this study was to investigate the role of phospholipase C (PLC) beta(1) and PLCgamma(1) in skeletal muscle differentiation and the existence of potential downstream targets of their signaling activity. To examine whether PLC signaling can modulate the expression of cyclin D3, a target of PLCbeta(1) in erythroleukemia cells, we transfected C2C12 cells with expression vectors containing PLCbeta(1) or PLCgamma(1) cDNA and with small interfering RNAs from regions of the PLCbeta(1) or PLCgamma(1) gene and followed myogenic differentiation in this well-established cell system. Intriguingly, overexpressed PLCbeta(1) and PLCgamma(1) were able to mimic insulin induction of both cyclin D3 and muscle differentiation. By knocking down PLCbeta(1) or PLCgamma(1) expression, C2C12 cells almost completely lost the increase in cyclin D3, and the differentiation program was down-regulated. To explore the induction of the cyclin D3 gene promoter during this process, we used a series of 5'-deletions of the 1.68-kb promoter linked to a reporter gene and noted a 5-fold augmentation of promoter activity upon insulin stimulation. These constructs were also cotransfected with PLCbeta(1) or PLCgamma(1) cDNAs and small interfering RNAs, respectively. Our data indicate that PLCbeta(1) or PLCgamma(1) signaling is capable of acting like insulin in regard to both the myogenic differentiation program and cyclin D3 up-regulation. Taken together, this is the first study that hints at cyclin D3 as a target of PLCbeta(1) and PLCgamma(1) during myogenic differentiation in vitro and implies that up-regulation of these enzymes is sufficient to mimic the actions of insulin in this process.

Real-time PCR as a tool for quantitative analysis of PI-PLCbeta1 gene expression in myelodysplastic syndrome.

Phosphoinositide-specific phospholipase C (PI-PLC) beta1 is a key enzyme in nuclear signal transduction, and it is involved in many cellular processes, such as proliferation and differentiation. In particular, the involvement of the PI-PLCbeta1 gene in erythroid differentiation lead us to investigate this gene in patients affected by high-risk myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS). By using fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) analysis, we have previously evidenced that, in MDS patients with normal GTG banding and a fatal outcome, the PI-PLCbeta1 gene undergoes monoallelic and interstitial deletion. Real-time PCR is characterized by high sensitivity, excellent precision and large dynamic range, and has become the method of choice for quantitative gene expression measurements. In the present study, we have performed a relative quantification real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analysis on all of the MDS patients tested for FISH analysis. Furthermore, we have evaluated the expression of the PI-PLCbeta1 gene on healthy donors and the HL60 cell line, which is useful for testing the accuracy of the technology because of its low expression of PI-PLCbeta1. To analyze and quantify the levels of the two different splicing variants of PI-PLCbeta1 gene (1a and 1b), we have used a TaqMan isoform specific probe. We have seen that all of the MDS patients have higher levels of the PI-PLCbeta1 mRNA compared to the HL60 cell line as expected, but lower levels compared to the healthy donors. Furthermore, MDS blasts always express higher levels of PI-PLCbeta1b mRNA compared to PI-PLCbeta1a mRNA. Our data support the contention that the deletion of the PI-PLCbeta1 gene is indeed responsible for a reduced expression of the enzyme. In addition, the splicing isoform 1b, which is only nuclear, seems to be somehow partially preserved compared to the 1a isoform, which is nuclear and cytoplasmatic, hinting at a possible imbalance of the nuclear versus cytoplasmatic PI-PLC signaling which, in turn, could affect the cell cycle progression of MDS blasts.

Anticancer agents sensitize osteosarcoma cells to TNF-related apoptosis-inducing ligand downmodulating IAP family proteins.

Although TNF-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) usually induces cell death in tumor cells, there are some tumor cell types that are resistant to its apoptogenic effects. Some chemotherapeutic drugs, however, can sensitize resistant cancer cells to TRAIL by either upregulating surface TRAIL death receptor expression or by modulating intracellular signalling pathways emanating from TRAIL receptors. U2OS human osteosarcoma cells express TRAIL-R2 but are resistant to TRAIL-induced apoptosis. however, the genotoxic drugs, Doxorubicin and Cisplatin, are able to sensitize U2OS cells to TRAIL, without affecting their surface expression of either death or decoy TRAIL receptors. We demonstrate that Doxorubicin and Cisplatin downmodulate X-IAP, while not affecting FLIP levels in U2OS cells. Selective downmodulation of X-IAP protein synthesis by specific small interference RNA transfection induced a sensitization of U2OS cells to TRAIL comparable to that induced by pharmacological treatment with genotoxic drugs. TRAIL-R2 downmodulation by siRNAs completely abolished the TRAIL-induced apoptosis of genotoxin-treated U2OS cells. Our findings demonstrate that Doxorubicin and Cisplatin do not sensitize U2OS osteosarcoma cells to TRAIL by surface receptor modulation but rather by the removal of the intracellular signalling inhibition generated by X-IAP, suggesting a foreseeable relevant advantage to the therapy of these tumors by the combined regimen of genotoxin-based chemotherapy and TRAIL.