TOR信号转导通路介导的翻译控制

TOR(target of rapamycin)真核生物中高度保守的一种大分子的Ser/Thr激酶,是免疫抑制剂雷帕霉素的在体内的靶物质.TOR能够对营养状况和生长因子等因素的变化做出应答反应,通过介导磷酸化反应调节蛋白激酶4E-BP1,S6K,eEF2和磷酸酶等的活性,控制下游翻译因子的磷酸化水平,调节核糖体发生,蛋白质合成等生理过程,在细胞的生长,增殖的综合调控中起到中枢作用.     

mTOR信号通路与调节

哺乳动物雷帕霉素靶蛋白mTOR是一种非典型丝氨酸／苏氨酸蛋白激酶,可整合细胞外信号,磷酸化下游靶蛋白核糖体p70S6激酶,如S6K1及4E—BP1,影响转录与翻译,从而参与调控细胞生长、增殖等过程。近年来研究发现,调控mTOR通路可以干预某些疾病的病理过程。mTOR研究的新发现,可望为今后相关疾病的治疗提供新的靶点。     

Wnt Signaling Is Regulated by Endoplasmic Reticulum Retention

Precise regulation of Wnt signaling is important in many contexts, as in development of the vertebrate forebrain, where excessive or ectopic Wnt signaling leads to severe brain defects. Mutation of the widely expressed oto gene causes loss of the anterior forebrain during mouse embryogenesis. Here we report that oto is the mouse ortholog of the gpi deacylase gene pgap1, and that the endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-resident Oto protein has a novel and deacylase-independent function during Wnt maturation. Oto increases the hydrophobicities of Wnt3a and Wnt1 by promoting the addition of glycophosphatidylinositol (gpi)-like anchors to these Wnts, which results in their retention in the ER. We also report that oto-deficient embryos exhibit prematurely robust Wnt activity in the Wnt1 domain of the early neural plate. We examine the effect of low oto expression on Wnt1 in vitro by knocking down endogenous oto expression in 293 and M14 melanoma cells using shRNA. Knockdown of oto results in increased Wnt1 secretion which is correlated with greatly enhanced canonical Wnt activity. These data indicate that oto deficiency increases Wnt signaling in vivo and in vitro. Finally, we address the mechanism of Oto-mediated Wnt retention under oto-abundant conditions, by cotransfecting Wnt1 with gpi-specific phospholipase D (GPI-PLD). The presence of GPI-PLD in the secretory pathway results in increased secretion of soluble Wnt1, suggesting that the gpi-like anchor lipids on Wnt1 mediate its retention in the ER. These data now provide a mechanistic framework for understanding the forebrain defects in oto mice, and support a role for Oto-mediated Wnt regulation during early brain development. Our work highlights a critical role for ER retention in regulating Wnt signaling in the mouse embryo, and gives insight into the notoriously inefficient secretion of Wnts.     

mTOR 信号通路与自噬在肿瘤中的研究进展

自噬是以细胞内自噬体形成为特征,通过溶酶体吸收降解自身受损细胞器和大分子的一种自我消化过程,是细胞维持稳态的重要机制。自噬广泛参与多种重要的细胞功能,既能在代谢应激状态下保护受损细胞,又可能因为过度激活导致细胞发生II型程序性死亡,从而引发多种疾病,尤其对肿瘤的发生和发展更是发挥着"双刃剑"的作用。自噬通过多种分子信号机制调控肿瘤进程,包括mTOR依赖性和mTOR非依赖性途径。mTOR作为生长因子、能量和营养状态的感受器,可通过调节下游自噬复合物的形成,直接调控细胞自噬。阐明mTOR与细胞自噬的相互作用机制将有助于从分子水平上对各肿瘤病变进行分析和治疗。因此,本文就自噬与PI3K/Akt/mTOR通路在肿瘤中的研究进展作一综述。     

mTOR信号通路对脂肪生成的调控作用

脂肪组织是一种主要的能量储存和内分泌器官。脂肪生成是一系列复杂的细胞分化过程,受到细胞营养水平、激素和代谢物等调节。哺乳动物雷帕霉素靶蛋白(mammalian target of rapamycin, mTOR)复合物包括哺乳动物雷帕霉素靶蛋白复合体1(mammalian target of rapamycin complex 1,mTORC1)和mTORC2两种蛋白质复合体。mTOR复合物含有的脂质激酶样域奠定了mTOR通路调控脂肪生成的基础。对mTORC1和mTORC2的部分组成蛋白质研究也验证了mTOR调控成脂的功能。基于前期的研究,我们综述了miR-199a-3p、miR-103、miR-188、68 kD有丝分裂中的Src相关底物(Src-associated substrate in mitosis of 68 kD,Sam68)、内皮抑素等物质通过mTORC1和mTORC2蛋白质复合体调控脂肪生成的机制。同时,进一步构建了包括胰岛素/IGF通路、PI3K-AKT通路、氨基酸通路、AMPK通路、cAMP通路、cGMP通路、NOTCH通路以及影响上述通路的bta-miR-15...     

The PI3K/AKT/mTOR Signaling Pathway Is Overactivated in Primary Aldosteronism

Background

To date, the available non-invasive remedies for primary aldosteronism are not satisfactory in clinical practice. The phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3Ks)/protein kinase B (PKB or AKT)/mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling pathway is essential for tumorigenesis and metastasis in many types of human tumors, including renal cancer, adrenal carcinoma and pheochromocytoma. The possibility that this pathway is also necessary for the pathogenesis of primary aldosteronism has not yet been explored. To answer this question, we investigated the activity of the PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling pathway in normal adrenal glands (NAGs), primary aldosteronism (PA) patients and NCI-H295R cells.

Methodology/Principal Findings

Between January 2005 and December 2011, we retrospectively reviewed the records of 45 patients with PA. We compared clinical characteristics (age, gender and biochemical data) and the expression of phospho-AKT (p-AKT), phospho-mTOR (p-mTOR), phospho-S6 (p-S6) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) by immunohistochemical staining and western blotting, analyzing 30 aldosterone-producing adenomas (APAs), 15 idiopathic hyperaldosteronism (IHA) tissues and 12 NAGs following nephrectomy for renal tumors (control group). Compared with the control group, most of the PA patients presented with polydipsia, polyuria, resistant hypertension, profound hypokalemia, hyperaldosteronemia and decreased plasma renin activity. Compared with normal zona glomerulosa, the levels of p-AKT, p-mTOR, p-S6 and VEGF were significantly upregulated in APA and IHA. No significant differences were found between APA and IHA in the expression of these proteins. Additionally, positive correlations existed between the plasma aldosterone levels and the expression of p-AKT and p-mTOR. In vitro studies showed that mTOR inhibitor rapamycin could inhibit cell proliferation in NCI-H295R cells in a dose- and time-dependent manner. Furthermore, this inhibitor also decreased aldosterone secretion.

Conclusions

Our data suggest that the PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling pathway, which was overactivated in APA and IHA compared with normal zona glomerulosa, may mediate aldosterone hypersecretion and participate in the development of PA.     

Crossover Localisation Is Regulated by the Neddylation Posttranslational Regulatory Pathway

Crossovers (COs) are at the origin of genetic variability, occurring across successive generations, and they are also essential for the correct segregation of chromosomes during meiosis. Their number and position are precisely controlled, however the mechanisms underlying these controls are poorly understood. Neddylation/rubylation is a regulatory pathway of posttranslational protein modification that is required for numerous cellular processes in eukaryotes, but has not yet been linked to homologous recombination. In a screen for meiotic recombination-defective mutants, we identified several axr1 alleles, disrupting the gene encoding the E1 enzyme of the neddylation complex in Arabidopsis. Using genetic and cytological approaches we found that axr1 mutants are characterised by a shortage in bivalent formation correlated with strong synapsis defects. We determined that the bivalent shortage in axr1 is not due to a general decrease in CO formation but rather due to a mislocalisation of class I COs. In axr1, as in wild type, COs are still under the control of the ZMM group of proteins. However, in contrast to wild type, they tend to cluster together and no longer follow the obligatory CO rule. Lastly, we showed that this deregulation of CO localisation is likely to be mediated by the activity of a cullin 4 RING ligase, known to be involved in DNA damage sensing during somatic DNA repair and mouse spermatogenesis. In conclusion, we provide evidence that the neddylation/rubylation pathway of protein modification is a key regulator of meiotic recombination. We propose that rather than regulating the number of recombination events, this pathway regulates their localisation, through the activation of cullin 4 RING ligase complexes. Possible targets for these ligases are discussed.     

PINK1-Parkin Pathway Activity Is Regulated by Degradation of PINK1 in the Mitochondrial Matrix

Loss-of-function mutations in PINK1, which encodes a mitochondrially targeted serine/threonine kinase, result in an early-onset heritable form of Parkinson''s disease. Previous work has shown that PINK1 is constitutively degraded in healthy cells, but selectively accumulates on the surface of depolarized mitochondria, thereby initiating their autophagic degradation. Although PINK1 is known to be a cleavage target of several mitochondrial proteases, whether these proteases account for the constitutive degradation of PINK1 in healthy mitochondria remains unclear. To explore the mechanism by which PINK1 is degraded, we performed a screen for mitochondrial proteases that influence PINK1 abundance in the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster. We found that genetic perturbations targeting the matrix-localized protease Lon caused dramatic accumulation of processed PINK1 species in several mitochondrial compartments, including the matrix. Knockdown of Lon did not decrease mitochondrial membrane potential or trigger activation of the mitochondrial unfolded protein stress response (UPR^mt), indicating that PINK1 accumulation in Lon-deficient animals is not a secondary consequence of mitochondrial depolarization or the UPR^mt. Moreover, the influence of Lon on PINK1 abundance was highly specific, as Lon inactivation had little or no effect on the abundance of other mitochondrial proteins. Further studies indicated that the processed forms of PINK1 that accumulate upon Lon inactivation are capable of activating the PINK1-Parkin pathway in vivo. Our findings thus suggest that Lon plays an essential role in regulating the PINK1-Parkin pathway by promoting the degradation of PINK1 in the matrix of healthy mitochondria.     

泛素连接酶对Notch 信号途径的调节作用

Notch信号途径是生物进化过程中高保守的信号通路,对细胞的定向发育及成熟起到决定性的作用。Notch信号途径受到多种分子机制的严格调控。近年来,多项研究均突出了泛素化在调控Notch信号途径活性中的重要性。本文就四种E3泛素连接酶Su(dx)/Itch、Sel-10、LNX以及Neuralized对于调控Notch受体及Notch信号途径配体的研究现况作一综述。     

泛素连接酶对Notch信号途径的调节作用

Noah信号途径是生物进化过程中高保守的信号通路,对细胞的定向发育及成熟起到决定性的作用。Notch信号途径受到多种分子机制的严格调控。近年来,多项研究均突出了泛素化在调控Noah信号途径活性中的重要性。本文就四种E3泛素连接酶Su（dx）Itch、Sel-10、LNX以及Neuralized对于调控Noah受体及Notch信号途径配体的研究现况作一综述。     

mTOR／4E—BP1参与诺考达唑诱导的Dami细胞多倍体化调控

目的：多倍性是物种形成的重要机制,决定一些重要器官细胞产生的数量和功能,而且与某些病理过程（如恶性肿瘤）的发生有密切关系。我们通过建立相对同步化的多倍体细胞模型,已经证实mTOR／S6K1参与多倍体细胞周期的调控。本课题主要研究roTOR下游的另一个重要信号分子4E-BP1是否也参与细胞的倍体化调控。方法：诺考达唑诱导Dami细胞建立相对同步化的多倍体细胞模型,Western-blot分析多倍体细胞模型中mTOR／4E—BP1通路信号分子表达和磷酸化修饰位点的变化,流式细胞仪双荧光分析4E—BP1不同结构域磷酸化位点修饰与细胞周期各时相的关系。结果：诺考达唑诱导的Dami细胞可作为相对同步化的多倍体细胞周期模型,在二倍体和多倍体细胞周期中,mTOR表达增加及第2448位丝氨酸位点磷酸化发生在G1期进入S期,4E—BP1的第37,46位苏氨酸和第65位丝氨酸位点磷酸化发生在G2／M期。结论：mTOR／4E-BP1通路参与多倍体细胞周期的调控。     

mTOR/4E-BP1参与诺考达唑诱导的Dami细胞多倍体化调控

目的:多倍性是物种形成的重要机制,决定一些重要器官细胞产生的数量和功能,而且与某些病理过程(如恶性肿瘤)的发生有密切关系.我们通过建立相对同步化的多倍体细胞模型,已经证实mTOR/S6K1参与多倍体细胞周期的调控.本课题主要研究mTOR下游的另一个重要信号分子4E-BP1是否也参与细胞的倍体化调控.方法:诺考达唑诱导Dami细胞建立相对同步化的多倍体细胞模型,Western-blot分析多倍体细胞模型中mTOR/4E-BP1通路信号分子表达和磷酸化修饰位点的变化,流式细胞仪双荧光分析4E-BP1不同结构域磷酸化位点修饰与细胞周期各时相的关系.结果:诺考达唑诱导的Dami细胞可作为相对同步化的多倍体细胞周期模型,在二倍体和多倍体细胞周期中,mTOR表达增加及第2448位丝氨酸位点磷酸化发生在G1期进入S期,4E-BP1的第37,46位苏氨酸和第65位丝氨酸位点磷酸化发生在G2/M期.结论:mTOR/4E-BP1通路参与多倍体细胞周期的调控.     

Axo-Glia Interaction Preceding CNS Myelination Is Regulated by Bidirectional Eph-Ephrin Signaling

In the central nervous system, myelination of axons is required to ensure fast saltatory conduction and for survival of neurons. However, not all axons are myelinated, and the molecular mechanisms involved in guiding the oligodendrocyte processes toward the axons to be myelinated are not well understood. Only a few negative or positive guidance clues that are involved in regulating axo-glia interaction prior to myelination have been identified. One example is laminin, known to be required for early axo-glia interaction, which functions through α6β1 integrin. Here, we identify the Eph-ephrin family of guidance receptors as novel regulators of the initial axo-glia interaction, preceding myelination. We demonstrate that so-called forward and reverse signaling, mediated by members of both Eph and ephrin subfamilies, has distinct and opposing effects on processes extension and myelin sheet formation. EphA forward signaling inhibits oligodendrocyte process extension and myelin sheet formation, and blocking of bidirectional signaling through this receptor enhances myelination. Similarly, EphB forward signaling also reduces myelin membrane formation, but in contrast to EphA forward signaling, this occurs in an integrin-dependent manner, which can be reversed by overexpression of a constitutive active β1-integrin. Furthermore, ephrin-B reverse signaling induced by EphA4 or EphB1 enhances myelin sheet formation. Combined, this suggests that the Eph-ephrin receptors are important mediators of bidirectional signaling between axons and oligodendrocytes. It further implies that balancing Eph-ephrin forward and reverse signaling is important in the selection process of axons to be myelinated.     

TGF-beta1 通过PI3K及ERK信号通路调节肺动脉高压过程中IGFBPs蛋白表达

目的：探讨大鼠肺动脉高压(PAH)过程中TGF-beta1对胰岛素样生长因子结合蛋白（IGFBP）表达调节是否依赖于PI3K及ERK 信号通路。方法：取健康成年SD 大鼠26 只,随机分成2 组：PAH组,腹腔注射1%的野百合碱,剂量为60 mg/kg;对照(C)组腹腔 注射生理盐水。于4 周后超声检测肺动脉平均压力,取肺组织做HE 染色,应用NIS-Element 系统测量中膜厚度。原代培养肺动脉 平滑肌（PASMC）细胞,分别加入TGF-beta1 及TGF-beta1 中和抗体后,Western-blot 检测IGFBP3,IGFBP5,Smad2/Smad3 表达。加入 ERK特异性抑制剂PD98059 或PI3K 抑制剂LY294002,检测IGFBP3,IGFBP5 表达。结果：野百合碱处理4 周后,肺动脉高压组 的平均肺动脉压力及右室/(左室+室间隔)比值显著高于对照组。TGF-茁1 可显著升高IGFBP3,IGFBP5 及p-Smad3 的表达（P<0. 05）,而抑制TGF-beta1 则可显著降低三种蛋白的表达（P<0.05）。加入LY294002 抑制PI3K ERK 后,IGFBP3 和p-Smad2 两种蛋白的 表达量显著下调（P<0.05）。加入PD98059 抑制ERK 后可显著降低IGFBP3 及IGFBP5 的表达水平（P<0.05）。结论：PAH 中 TGF-茁1 升高可通过活化Smad2/Smad3 上调IGFBP3和IGFBP5 的表达。TGF-beta1 促进IGFBP3,IGFBP5表达的作用依赖于PI3K 及ERK 信号通路。     

mTOR信号通路与癌症治疗

哺乳动物雷帕霉素靶蛋白(mammalian target of rapamycin,mTOR)是一种非典型的丝氨酸／苏氨酸蛋白激酶,在细胞的生长、分化、增殖、迁移和存活上扮演了重要的角色。由于mTOR信号转导通路在细胞周期进程中发挥了重要作用,而细胞周期进程调节异常与许多疾病尤其是癌症的发生、发展有关,因此mTOR信号通路的失调可引起多种癌症。mTOR的特异性抑制剂雷帕霉素及其衍生物CCI-779能抑制mTOR的功能,使细胞阻滞在G。期,并引起凋亡。CCI-779作为抗癌药物已分别进入Ⅱ期临床。通过临床实验CCI-779显示出较高的抗癌活性和相对较小的副作用。越来越多的实验证据显示,mTOR信号转导通路的抑制剂可开发成为潜在的肿瘤特异性治疗药物。