Mutations of the UMOD gene are responsible for medullary cystic kidney disease 2 and familial juvenile hyperuricaemic nephropathy.

INTRODUCTION: Medullary cystic kidney disease 2 (MCKD2) and familial juvenile hyperuricaemic nephropathy (FJHN) are both autosomal dominant renal diseases characterised by juvenile onset of hyperuricaemia, gout, and progressive renal failure. Clinical features of both conditions vary in presence and severity. Often definitive diagnosis is possible only after significant pathology has occurred. Genetic linkage studies have localised genes for both conditions to overlapping regions of chromosome 16p11-p13. These clinical and genetic findings suggest that these conditions may be allelic. AIM: To identify the gene and associated mutation(s) responsible for FJHN and MCKD2. METHODS: Two large, multigenerational families segregating FJHN were studied by genetic linkage and haplotype analyses to sublocalise the chromosome 16p FJHN gene locus. To permit refinement of the candidate interval and localisation of candidate genes, an integrated physical and genetic map of the candidate region was developed. DNA sequencing of candidate genes was performed to detect mutations in subjects affected with FJHN (three unrelated families) and MCKD2 (one family). RESULTS: We identified four novel uromodulin (UMOD) gene mutations that segregate with the disease phenotype in three families with FJHN and in one family with MCKD2. CONCLUSION: These data provide the first direct evidence that MCKD2 and FJHN arise from mutation of the UMOD gene and are allelic disorders. UMOD is a GPI anchored glycoprotein and the most abundant protein in normal urine. We postulate that mutation of UMOD disrupts the tertiary structure of UMOD and is responsible for the clinical changes of interstitial renal disease, polyuria, and hyperuricaemia found in MCKD2 and FJHN.

Substrate specificity of alpha(v)beta(3) integrin-mediated cell migration and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/AKT pathway activation.

The alpha(v)beta(3) integrin has been shown to bind several ligands, including osteopontin and vitronectin. Its role in modulating cell migration and downstream signaling pathways in response to specific extracellular matrix ligands has been investigated in this study. Highly invasive prostate cancer PC3 cells that constitutively express alpha(v)beta(3) adhere and migrate on osteopontin and vitronectin in an alpha(v)beta(3)-dependent manner. However, exogenous expression of alpha(v)beta(3) in noninvasive prostate cancer LNCaP (beta(3)-LNCaP) cells mediates adhesion and migration on vitronectin but not on osteopontin. Activation of alpha(v)beta(3) by epidermal growth factor stimulation is required to mediate adhesion to osteopontin but is not sufficient to support migration on this substrate. We show that alpha(v)beta(3)-mediated cell migration requires activation of the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI 3-kinase)/protein kinase B (PKB/AKT) pathway since wortmannin, a PI 3-kinase inhibitor, prevents PC3 cell migration on both osteopontin and vitronectin; furthermore, alpha(v)beta(3) engagement by osteopontin and vitronectin activates the PI 3-kinase/AKT pathway. Migration of beta(3)-LNCaP cells on vitronectin also occurs through activation of the PI 3-kinase pathway; however, AKT phosphorylation is not increased upon engagement by osteopontin. Furthermore, phosphorylation of focal adhesion kinase (FAK), known to support cell migration in beta(3)-LNCaP cells, is detected on both substrates. Thus, in PC3 cells, alpha(v)beta(3) mediates cell migration and PI 3-kinase/AKT pathway activation on vitronectin and osteopontin; in beta(3)-LNCaP cells, alpha(v)beta(3) mediates cell migration and PI 3-kinase/AKT pathway activation on vitronectin, whereas adhesion to osteopontin does not support alpha(v)beta(3)-mediated cell migration and PI 3-kinase/AKT pathway activation. We conclude therefore that alpha(v)beta(3) exists in multiple functional states that can bind either selectively vitronectin or both vitronectin and osteopontin and that can differentially activate cell migration and intracellular signaling pathways in a ligand-specific manner.

Prostatic carcinoma cell migration via alpha(v)beta3 integrin is modulated by a focal adhesion kinase pathway.

The highly invasive human prostate cancer PC3 cell line was found to express the alpha(v)beta3 integrin; in contrast, the noninvasive LNCaP prostate cancer cell line did not express alpha(v)beta3. PC3 cells adhered to and migrated on vitronectin (VN), an alpha(v)beta3 ligand expressed in mature bone where prostate cancer cells preferentially metastasize. In contrast, LNCaP cells did not adhere to or migrate on VN. Analysis of primary human prostate cancer cells isolated from 16 surgical specimens, showed that these cells expressed alpha(v)beta3, whereas normal prostate epithelial cells did not. In addition, only primary prostate cancer cells adhered to and migrated on VN. The role of alpha(v)beta3 in mediating prostate epithelial cell migration was confirmed using LNCaP cell transfectants expressing beta3 (beta3-LNCaP). Exogenous expression of alpha(v)beta3 induced LNCaP cells to adhere to and migrate on VN. In response to alpha(v)beta3 engagement, increased tyrosine phosphorylation of focal adhesion kinase (FAK), a signaling molecule activated by integrins and able to modulate cell migration, was detected. Transfection of FAK-related nonkinase, known to compete with FAK for its correct localization and phosphorylation, caused inhibition of beta3-LNCaP cell migration, specifically on VN. These data indicate that de novo expression of alpha(v)beta3 integrin in prostate cancer cells generates a migratory phenotype that is modulated by a FAK signaling pathway. This study points to alpha(v)beta3 as potential target in prostate cancer cell invasion and metastasis.

The synergistic activity of alphavbeta3 integrin and PDGF receptor increases cell migration.

Integrins and growth factor receptors act synergistically to modulate cellular functions. The alphavbeta3 integrin and the platelet-derived growth factor receptor have both been shown to play a positive role in cell migration. We show here that a platelet derived growth factor-BB gradient stimulated migration of rat microvascular endothelial cells on vitronectin (9.2-fold increase compared to resting cells) in a alphavbeta3 and RGD-dependent manner. In contrast, this response was not observed on a beta1 integrin ligand, laminin; background levels of migration, in response to a platelet derived growth factor-BB gradient, were observed on this substrate or on bovine serum albumin (2.4- or 2.0-fold, respectively). Comparable results were obtained using NIH-3T3 cells. Platelet derived growth factor-BB did not change the cells' ability to adhere to vitronectin, nor did it stimulate a further increase in proliferation on vitronectin versus laminin. In addition, platelet derived growth factor-BB stimulation of NIH-3T3 cells did not alter the ability of alphavbeta3 to bind RGD immobilized on Sepharose. The alphavbeta3 integrin and the platelet derived growth factor receptor-beta associate in both microvascular endothelial cells and NIH-3T3 cells, since they coprecipitated using two different antibodies to either alphavbeta3 or to the platelet derived growth factor receptor-beta. In contrast, beta1 integrins did not coprecipitate with the platelet derived growth factor receptor-beta. These results point to a novel pathway, mediated by the synergistic activity of alphavbeta3 and the platelet derived growth factor receptor-beta, that regulates cell migration and, therefore, might play a role during neovessel formation and tissue infiltration.

Transcriptional defects underlie loss of E-cadherin expression in breast cancer.

Decreased expression of E-cadherin (E-cad), a calcium-dependent cell adhesion molecule, has been seen in many different epithelial cancers. Although somatic mutations in the E-cad gene have been identified in a small subset of tumors, in the majority of cancers, the mechanisms underlying loss of E-cad expression are poorly understood. We have cloned the human E-cad promoter and defined its critical components in functional assays. In eight human breast cancer cell lines, there was a striking correlation between endogenous E-cad gene expression and E-cad promoter activity observed following the introduction of reporter gene constructs into the lines. These and other observations suggest that defects in trans-acting pathways regulation E-cad expression are the primary basis for the loss of its expression in most breast cancers. The results have significant implications for understanding the gene expression differences that underlie tumor heterogeneity and progression events in breast and other epithelial cancers.

Frequent alterations in E-cadherin and alpha- and beta-catenin expression in human breast cancer cell lines.

Alterations in intercellular junction and membrane cytoskeletal proteins may underlie some of the morphological, invasive and metastatic properties of cancer. E-cadherin, a transmembrane protein that functions in epithelial cell-cell interactions at adherens junctions, is linked to the membrane cytoskeletal matrix through interactions with alpha- and beta-catenin. We have carried out studies of E-cadherin and alpha- and beta-catenin in 18 breast cancer cell lines to determine the prevalence and nature of alterations in these genes in breast cancer. Ten lines failed to express E-cadherin protein at detectable levels and seven failed to produce detectable levels of E-cadherin transcripts. In a line lacking E-cadherin expression (SK-BR-3) a homozygous deletion of a large portion of the E-cadherin gene was noted. Localized sequence alterations in E-cadherin transcripts were not identified in any lines. In contrast to the results of a previous study, no relationship was identified between E-cadherin expression and HER-2/NEU expression. Two of the 18 lines had no detectable alpha-catenin protein and six others had reduced levels. The two lines lacking alpha-catenin protein had reduced or undetectable levels of alpha-catenin transcripts, while no consistent changes in alpha-catenin transcript levels were seen in the lines with reduced, but detectable, levels of alpha-catenin protein. Similarly, although two lines lacked beta-catenin protein, in most lines the levels of beta-catenin transcripts and protein were not well correlated with one another. Our findings suggest that alterations in E-cadherin and alpha- and beta-catenin expression are frequent in human breast cancer-derived cell lines, and that in some cases the decreased expression may result from mutations in the genes. Furthermore, the frequent alterations in the expression of these proteins argue that loss of function in the E-cadherin-catenin pathway may be critical in the development of many breast cancers.