Targeted deletion of keratin 8 in intestinal epithelial cells disrupts tissue integrity and predisposes to tumorigenesis in the colon.

Keratin 8 (K8) is the main intestinal epithelial intermediate filament protein with proposed roles for colonic epithelial cell integrity. Here, we used mice lacking K8 in intestinal epithelial cells (floxed K8 and Villin-Cre1000 and Villin-CreERt2) to investigate the cell-specific roles of intestinal epithelial K8 for colonocyte function and pathologies. Intestinal epithelial K8 deletion decreased K8 partner proteins, K18-K20, 75-95%, and the remaining keratin filaments were located at the colonocyte apical regions with type II K7, which decreased 30%. 2-Deoxy-2-[18F]-fluoroglucose positron emission tomography in vivo imaging identified a metabolic phenotype in the lower gut of the conditional K8 knockouts. These mice developed intestinal barrier leakiness, mild diarrhea, and epithelial damage, especially in the proximal colon. Mice exhibited shifted differentiation from enterocytes to goblet cells, displayed longer crypts and an increased number of Ki67 + transit-amplifying cells in the colon. Significant proproliferative and regenerative signaling occurred in the IL-22, STAT3, and pRb pathways, with minor effects on inflammatory parameters, which, however, increased in aging mice. Importantly, colonocyte K8 deletion induced a dramatically increased sensitivity to azoxymethane-induced tumorigenesis. In conclusion, intestinal epithelial K8 plays a significant role in colonocyte epithelial integrity maintenance, proliferation regulation and tumor suppression.

Keratins regulate ß-cell mitochondrial morphology, motility, and homeostasis.

Loss of the epithelial intermediate filament protein keratin 8 (K8) in murine ß cells leads to irregular insulin vesicles and decreased insulin levels. Because mitochondria are central in glucose-stimulated insulin secretion, the relationship between keratins and ß-cell mitochondrial function and morphology was investigated. ß cells in murine K8-knockout (K8-/-) islets of Langerhans have increased numbers of mitochondria, which are rounder and have diffuse cristae, as seen by electron microscopy. The mitochondrial network in primary cultured K8-/- ß cells is more fragmented compared with K8+/+ mitochondria, correlating with decreased levels of mitofusin 2 and the mitofusin 2- and keratin-binding protein trichoplein. K8-/- ß-cell mitochondria have decreased levels of total and mitochondrial cytochrome c, which correlates with a reduction in electron transport complexes I and IV. This provokes loss of mitochondrial membrane potential and reduction of ATP and insulin amount, as seen in K8-/- ß cells. Mitochondria in K8 wild-type ß cells and MIN6 insulinoma cells overexpressing K8 and 18 are more stationary compared with mitochondria in keratin-deficient cells. In conclusion, keratins, likely through trichoplein-mitofusin interactions, regulate both structural and dynamic functions of ß-cell mitochondria, which could have implications for downstream insulin secretion.-Silvander, J. S. G., Kvarnström, S. M., Kumari-Ilieva, A., Shrestha, A., Alam, C. M., Toivola, D. M. Keratins regulate ß-cell mitochondrial morphology, motility, and homeostasis.

Identification of morphological and biochemical changes in keratin-8/18 knock-down cells using Raman spectroscopy.

Accurate understanding of cellular processes and responses to stimuli is of paramount importance in biomedical research and diagnosis. Raman spectroscopy (RS), a label-free and nondestructive spectroscopic method has the potential to serve as a novel 'theranostics' tool. Both fiber-optic and micro-Raman studies have demonstrated efficacy in diagnostics and therapeutic response monitoring. In the present study, we have evaluated the potential of micro-Raman spectroscopic maps in identifying changes induced by loss of K8/18 proteins in a tongue cancer cell line. Furthermore, we also evaluated the efficacy of less expensive and commercially available fiber probes to identify K8/18 wild and knock-down cell pellets, in view of the utility of cell pellet-based studies. The findings suggest that major differences in the cellular morphology and biochemical composition can be objectively identified and can be utilized for classification using both micro-Raman and fiber-probe-based RS. These findings highlight the potential of fiber-optic probe-based RS in noninvasive cellular phenotyping for diagnosis and therapeutic response monitoring, especially in low-resource settings.

Cytoskeleton keratin regulation of FasR signaling through modulation of actin/ezrin interplay at lipid rafts in hepatocytes.

FasR stimulation by Fas ligand leads to rapid formation of FasR microaggregates, which become signaling protein oligomerization transduction structures (SPOTS), through interactions with actin and ezrin, a structural step that triggers death-inducing signaling complex formation, in association with procaspase-8 activation. In some cells, designated as type I, caspase 8 directly activates effector caspases, whereas in others, known as type II, the caspase-mediated death signaling is amplified through mitochondria. Keratins are the intermediate filament (IF) proteins of epithelial cells, expressed as pairs in a lineage/differentiation manner. Hepatocyte IFs are made solely of keratins 8/18 (K8/K18), the hallmark of all simple epithelia. We have shown recently that in comparison to type II wild-type (WT) mouse hepatocytes, the absence of K8/K18 IFs in K8-null hepatocytes leads to more efficient FasR-mediated apoptosis, in link with a type II/type I-like switch in FasR-death signaling. Here, we demonstrate that the apoptotic process occurring in type I-like K8-null hepatocytes is associated with accelerated SPOTS elaboration at surface membrane, along with manifestation of FasR cap formation and internalization. In addition, the lipid raft organization is altered in K8-null hepatocytes. While lipid raft inhibition impairs SPOTS formation in both WT and K8-null hepatocytes, the absence of K8/K18 IFs in the latter sensitizes SPOTS to actin de-polymerization, and perturbs ezrin compartmentalization. Overall, the results indicate that the K8/K18 IF loss in hepatocytes alters the initial FasR activation steps through perturbation of ezrin/actin interplay and lipid raft organization, which leads to a type II/type I switch in FasR-death signaling.

Loss of keratins 8 and 18 leads to alterations in α6ß4-integrin-mediated signalling and decreased neoplastic progression in an oral-tumour-derived cell line.

Keratins 8 and 18 (K8 and K18) are predominantly expressed in simple epithelial tissues and perform both mechanical and regulatory functions. Aberrant expression of K8 and K18 is associated with neoplastic progression and invasion in squamous cell carcinomas (SCCs). To understand the molecular basis by which K8 promotes neoplastic progression in oral SCC (OSCC), K8 expression was inhibited in AW13516 cells. The K8-knockdown clones showed a significant reduction in tumorigenic potential, which was accompanied by a reduction in cell motility, cell invasion, decreased fascin levels, alterations in the organization of the actin cytoskeleton and changes in cell shape. Furthermore, K8 knockdown led to a decrease in α6ß4 integrin levels and α6ß4-integrin-dependent signalling events, which have been reported to play an important role in neoplastic progression in epithelial tissues. Therefore, modulation of α6ß4 integrin signalling might be one of the mechanisms by which K8 and K18 promote malignant transformation and/or progression in OSCCs.

Keratins modulate hepatic cell adhesion, size and G1/S transition.

Keratins (Ks) are the intermediate filament (IF) proteins of epithelial cells. Hepatocyte IFs are made solely of keratins 8 and 18 (K8/K18), the hallmark of all simple epithelia. While K8/K18 are essential for maintaining structural integrity, there is accumulating evidence indicating that they also exert non-mechanical functions. We have reported recently that K8/K18-free hepatocytes from K8-null mice are more sensitive to Fas-mediated apoptosis, in line with an increased Fas density at the cell surface and an altered c-Flip regulation of the anti-apoptotic ERK1/2 signaling pathway. In the present study, we show that K8-null hepatocytes attach more rapidly but spread more slowly on a fibronectin substratum and undergo a more efficient G1/S transition than wild-type hepatocytes. Moreover, plectin, an IF associated protein, receptor for activated C kinase 1 (RACK1), a plectin partner, and vinculin, a key component of focal adhesions, distribute differently in spreading K8-null hepatocytes. Cell seeding leads to no differential activation of ERK1/2 in WT versus K8-null hepatocytes, whereas a stronger Akt activation is detected in K8-null hepatocytes. Insulin stimulation also leads to a differential Akt activation, implying altered Akt signaling capacity as a result of the K8/K18 loss. In addition, a delayed autophosphorylation of FAK, a target for integrin beta1 signaling, was obtained in seeding K8-null hepatocytes. These alterations in cell cycle-related events in hepatocytes in primary culture are also found in a K8-knockdown H4-II-E-C3 rat hepatoma cell line. Besides, K8/K18-free cells are smaller and exhibit a reduced rate of protein synthesis. In addition, a distinctive cyclin interplay is observed in these K8/K18-free hepatic cells, namely a more efficient cyclin A-dependent G1/S phase transition. Furthermore, K8 re-expression in these cells, following transfer of a human K8 cDNA, restores proper cell size, spreading and growth. Together, these results suggest new interrelated signaling roles of K8/18 with plectin/RACK1 in the modulation of cell attachment/spreading, size/protein synthesis and G1/S transition.