Corrigendum: CHCHD4 Regulates Intracellular Oxygenation and Perinuclear Distribution of Mitochondria.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2017.00071.].

CHCHD4 Regulates Intracellular Oxygenation and Perinuclear Distribution of Mitochondria.

Hypoxia is a characteristic of the tumor microenvironment and is known to contribute to tumor progression and treatment resistance. Hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF) dimeric transcription factors control the cellular response to reduced oxygenation by regulating the expression of genes involved in metabolic adaptation, cell motility, and survival. Alterations in mitochondrial metabolism are not only a downstream consequence of HIF-signaling but mitochondria reciprocally regulate HIF signaling through multiple means, including oxygen consumption, metabolic intermediates, and reactive oxygen species generation. CHCHD4 is a redox-sensitive mitochondrial protein, which we previously identified and showed to be a novel regulator of HIF and hypoxia responses in tumors. Elevated expression of CHCHD4 in human tumors correlates with the hypoxia gene signature, disease progression, and poor patient survival. Here, we show that either long-term (72 h) exposure to hypoxia (1% O2) or elevated expression of CHCHD4 in tumor cells in normoxia leads to perinuclear accumulation of mitochondria, which is dependent on the expression of HIF-1α. Furthermore, we show that CHCHD4 is required for perinuclear localization of mitochondria and HIF activation in response to long-term hypoxia. Mutation of the functionally important highly conserved cysteines within the Cys-Pro-Cys motif of CHCHD4 or inhibition of complex IV activity (by sodium azide) redistributes mitochondria from the perinuclear region toward the periphery of the cell and blocks HIF activation. Finally, we show that CHCHD4-mediated perinuclear localization of mitochondria is associated with increased intracellular hypoxia within the perinuclear region and constitutive basal HIF activation in normoxia. Our study demonstrates that the intracellular distribution of the mitochondrial network is an important feature of the cellular response to hypoxia, contributing to hypoxic signaling via HIF activation and regulated by way of the cross talk between CHCHD4 and HIF-1α.

Synthesis and biological characterisation of sirtuin inhibitors based on the tenovins.

The tenovins are small molecule inhibitors of the NAD(+)-dependent family of protein deacetylases known as the sirtuins. There remains considerable interest in inhibitors of this enzyme family due to possible applications in both cancer and neurodegenerative disease therapy. Through the synthesis of novel tenovin analogues, further insights into the structural requirements for activity against the sirtuins in vitro are provided. In addition, the activity of one of the analogues in cells led to an improved understanding of the function of SirT1 in cells.

Human CHCHD4 mitochondrial proteins regulate cellular oxygen consumption rate and metabolism and provide a critical role in hypoxia signaling and tumor progression.

Increased expression of the regulatory subunit of HIFs (HIF-1α or HIF-2α) is associated with metabolic adaptation, angiogenesis, and tumor progression. Understanding how HIFs are regulated is of intense interest. Intriguingly, the molecular mechanisms that link mitochondrial function with the HIF-regulated response to hypoxia remain to be unraveled. Here we describe what we believe to be novel functions of the human gene CHCHD4 in this context. We found that CHCHD4 encodes 2 alternatively spliced, differentially expressed isoforms (CHCHD4.1 and CHCHD4.2). CHCHD4.1 is identical to MIA40, the homolog of yeast Mia40, a key component of the mitochondrial disulfide relay system that regulates electron transfer to cytochrome c. Further analysis revealed that CHCHD4 proteins contain an evolutionarily conserved coiled-coil-helix-coiled-coil-helix (CHCH) domain important for mitochondrial localization. Modulation of CHCHD4 protein expression in tumor cells regulated cellular oxygen consumption rate and metabolism. Targeting CHCHD4 expression blocked HIF-1α induction and function in hypoxia and resulted in inhibition of tumor growth and angiogenesis in vivo. Overexpression of CHCHD4 proteins in tumor cells enhanced HIF-1α protein stabilization in hypoxic conditions, an effect insensitive to antioxidant treatment. In human cancers, increased CHCHD4 expression was found to correlate with the hypoxia gene expression signature, increasing tumor grade, and reduced patient survival. Thus, our study identifies a mitochondrial mechanism that is critical for regulating the hypoxic response in tumors.

Characterization, chemical optimization and anti-tumour activity of a tubulin poison identified by a p53-based phenotypic screen.

A robust p53 cell-based assay that exploits p53's function as a transcription factor was used to screen a small molecule library and identify bioactive small molecules with potential antitumor activity. Unexpectedly, the majority of the highest ranking hit compounds from this screen arrest cells in mitosis and most of them impair polymerization of tubulin in cells and in vitro. One of these novel compounds, JJ78:1, was subjected to structure-activity relationship studies and optimized leading to the identification of JJ78:12. This molecule is significantly more potent than the original hit JJ78:1, as it is active in cells at two-digit nanomolar concentrations and shows clear antitumor activity in a mouse xenograft model as a single agent. The effects of nocodazole, a well established tubulin poison, and JJ78:12 on p53 levels are remarkably similar, supporting that tubulin depolymerization is the main mechanism by which JJ78:12 treatment leads to p53 activation in cells. In summary, these results identify JJ78:12 as a potential cancer therapeutic, demonstrate that screening for activators of p53 in a cell-based assay is an effective way to identify inhibitors of mitosis progression and highlights p53's sensitivity to alterations during mitosis.

Mps1 kinase activity restrains anaphase during an unperturbed mitosis and targets Mad2 to kinetochores.

Mps1 is an upstream component of the spindle assembly checkpoint, which, in human cells, is required for checkpoint activation in response to spindle damage but not apparently during an unperturbed mitosis. Mps1 also recruits Mad1 and Mad2 to kinetochores. However, whether the enzymatic activity of Mps1 is required for these processes is unclear. To address this question, we established an RNA interference (RNAi) complementation assay. Repression of Mps1 triggers premature anaphase, often with unaligned or maloriented chromosomes. This phenotype is rescued by an RNAi-resistant wild-type Mps1 transgene but not by a catalytically inactive mutant. An analogue-sensitive allele, Mps1(M602A), also rescues the RNAi-induced defect, but not when inhibited by the adenosine triphosphate analogue 1-NM-PP1. Thus, Mps1 activity does restrain anaphase during an unperturbed mitosis. Furthermore, although catalytically inactive Mps1 can restore kinetochore localization of Mad1, only the active kinase restores Mad2 localization. Thus, in human cells, Mps1 catalytic activity is required for spindle checkpoint function and recruitment of Mad2.

Discovery, in vivo activity, and mechanism of action of a small-molecule p53 activator.

We have carried out a cell-based screen aimed at discovering small molecules that activate p53 and have the potential to decrease tumor growth. Here, we describe one of our hit compounds, tenovin-1, along with a more water-soluble analog, tenovin-6. Via a yeast genetic screen, biochemical assays, and target validation studies in mammalian cells, we show that tenovins act through inhibition of the protein-deacetylating activities of SirT1 and SirT2, two important members of the sirtuin family. Tenovins are active on mammalian cells at one-digit micromolar concentrations and decrease tumor growth in vivo as single agents. This underscores the utility of these compounds as biological tools for the study of sirtuin function as well as their potential therapeutic interest.

GSK-3 inhibitors induce chromosome instability.

BACKGROUND: Several mechanisms operate during mitosis to ensure accurate chromosome segregation. However, during tumour evolution these mechanisms go awry resulting in chromosome instability. While several lines of evidence suggest that mutations in adenomatous polyposis coli (APC) may promote chromosome instability, at least in colon cancer, the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Here, we turn our attention to GSK-3 - a protein kinase, which in concert with APC, targets beta-catenin for proteolysis - and ask whether GSK-3 is required for accurate chromosome segregation. RESULTS: To probe the role of GSK-3 in mitosis, we inhibited GSK-3 kinase activity in cells using a panel of small molecule inhibitors, including SB-415286, AR-A014418, 1-Azakenpaullone and CHIR99021. Analysis of synchronised HeLa cells shows that GSK-3 inhibitors do not prevent G1/S progression or cell division. They do, however, significantly delay mitotic exit, largely because inhibitor-treated cells have difficulty aligning all their chromosomes. Although bipolar spindles form and the majority of chromosomes biorient, one or more chromosomes often remain mono-oriented near the spindle poles. Despite a prolonged mitotic delay, anaphase frequently initiates without the last chromosome aligning, resulting in chromosome non-disjunction. To rule out the possibility of "off-target" effects, we also used RNA interference to selectively repress GSK-3beta. Cells deficient for GSK-3beta exhibit a similar chromosome alignment defect, with chromosomes clustered near the spindle poles. GSK-3beta repression also results in cells accumulating micronuclei, a hallmark of chromosome missegregation. CONCLUSION: Thus, not only do our observations indicate a role for GSK-3 in accurate chromosome segregation, but they also raise the possibility that, if used as therapeutic agents, GSK-3 inhibitors may induce unwanted side effects by inducing chromosome instability.