ABSTRACT
Abnormal calcium signaling is a central pathological component of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Here, we describe the identification of a class of compounds called ReS19-T, which are able to restore calcium homeostasis in cell-based models of tau pathology. Aberrant tau accumulation leads to uncontrolled activation of store-operated calcium channels (SOCCs) by remodeling septin filaments at the cell cortex. Binding of ReS19-T to septins restores filament assembly in the disease state and restrains calcium entry through SOCCs. In amyloid-ß and tau-driven mouse models of disease, ReS19-T agents restored synaptic plasticity, normalized brain network activity, and attenuated the development of both amyloid-ß and tau pathology. Our findings identify the septin cytoskeleton as a potential therapeutic target for the development of disease-modifying AD treatments.
Subject(s)
Alzheimer Disease , Amyloid beta-Peptides , Calcium , Homeostasis , Neuroprotective Agents , Septins , tau Proteins , Animals , Humans , Mice , Alzheimer Disease/drug therapy , Alzheimer Disease/metabolism , Amyloid beta-Peptides/metabolism , Calcium/metabolism , Calcium Channels/metabolism , Calcium Signaling/drug effects , Cytoskeleton/metabolism , Cytoskeleton/drug effects , Disease Models, Animal , Neuronal Plasticity/drug effects , Neuroprotective Agents/pharmacology , Neuroprotective Agents/therapeutic use , Septins/metabolism , tau Proteins/metabolismABSTRACT
The extracellular matrix is a major component of the local environment-that is, the niche-that determines cell behaviour1. During metastatic growth, cancer cells shape the extracellular matrix of the metastatic niche by hydroxylating collagen to promote their own metastatic growth2,3. However, only particular nutrients might support the ability of cancer cells to hydroxylate collagen, because nutrients dictate which enzymatic reactions are active in cancer cells4,5. Here we show that breast cancer cells rely on the nutrient pyruvate to drive collagen-based remodelling of the extracellular matrix in the lung metastatic niche. Specifically, we discovered that pyruvate uptake induces the production of α-ketoglutarate. This metabolite in turn activates collagen hydroxylation by increasing the activity of the enzyme collagen prolyl-4-hydroxylase (P4HA). Inhibition of pyruvate metabolism was sufficient to impair collagen hydroxylation and consequently the growth of breast-cancer-derived lung metastases in different mouse models. In summary, we provide a mechanistic understanding of the link between collagen remodelling and the nutrient environment in the metastatic niche.
Subject(s)
Breast Neoplasms/pathology , Neoplasm Metastasis/pathology , Pyruvic Acid/metabolism , Animals , Breast Neoplasms/enzymology , Breast Neoplasms/metabolism , Cell Line, Tumor , Collagen/chemistry , Collagen/metabolism , Disease Models, Animal , Enzyme Activation/drug effects , Extracellular Matrix/drug effects , Extracellular Matrix/metabolism , Female , Humans , Hydroxylation/drug effects , Ketoglutaric Acids/metabolism , Lung Neoplasms/metabolism , Lung Neoplasms/pathology , Lung Neoplasms/secondary , Mice , Procollagen-Proline Dioxygenase/metabolism , Pyruvic Acid/pharmacology , Tumor Microenvironment/drug effectsABSTRACT
Metabolomics and 13C tracer analysis are state-of-the-art techniques that allow determining the concentration of metabolites and the activity of metabolic pathways, respectively. Three dimensional (3D) cultures of cancer cells constitute an enriched in vitro environment that can be used to assay anchorage-independent growth, spheroid formation, and extracellular matrix production by (cancer) cells. Here, we describe how to perform metabolomics and 13C tracer analysis in 3D cultures of cancer cells.
Subject(s)
Carbon Isotopes/analysis , Cell Culture Techniques/methods , Metabolomics/methods , Cell Culture Techniques/instrumentation , Chromatography, Liquid/instrumentation , Chromatography, Liquid/methods , Culture Media/chemistry , Extracellular Matrix/metabolism , Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry/instrumentation , Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry/methods , Humans , Metabolomics/instrumentation , Spheroids, Cellular/metabolism , Tumor Cells, CulturedABSTRACT
TMPRSS2/ERG is the most common type of gene fusions found in human prostate cancer. There are two important features of TMPRSS2/ERG fusions. One is that these gene fusions lead to ectopic expression of ERG, an ETS family transcription factor, in prostate epithelial cells from the 5' control region of an androgen/estrogen dual-responsive gene, TMPRSS2; the other is that ~60% of these fusions are generated via intrachromosomal deletion of the interstitial region between TMPRSS2 and ERG. To recapitulate these important aspects of TMPRSS2/ERG fusions, we generated several TMPRSS2/ERG knockin mouse models based on the endogenous Tmprss2 locus. We found that TMPRSS2/ERG represents an early event in prostate tumorigenesis, by sensitizing prostate cells for cooperation with other oncogenic events, such as PTEN-deficiency. We also found that the interstitial region between TMPRSS2 and ERG harbors at least one prostate tumor suppressor, ETS2, whose loss contributes to prostate cancer progression. In this protocol, we describe how these knockin mouse models can be utilized to study roles of TMPRSS2/ERG fusions in prostate cancer development both in vivo and in vitro.
