Tyrosine-phosphorylated caveolin-1 (Tyr-14) increases sensitivity to paclitaxel by inhibiting BCL2 and BCLxL proteins via c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK)

Paclitaxel, an anti-microtubule agent, is an effective chemotherapeutic drug in breast cancer. Nonetheless, resistance to paclitaxel remains a major clinical challenge. The need to better understand the resistant phenotype and to find biomarkers that could predict tumor response to paclitaxel is evident. In estrogen receptor α-positive (ER(+)) breast cancer cells, phosphorylation of caveolin-1 (CAV1) on Tyr-14 facilitates mitochondrial apoptosis by increasing BCL2 phosphorylation in response to low dose paclitaxel (10 nM). However, two variants of CAV1 exist: the full-length form, CAV1α (wild-type CAV1 or wtCAV1), and a truncated form, CAV1β. Only wtCAV1 has the Tyr-14 region at the N terminus. The precise cellular functions of CAV1 variants are unknown. We now show that CAV1 variants play distinct roles in paclitaxel-mediated cell death/survival. CAV1β expression is increased in paclitaxel-resistant cells when compared with sensitive cells. Expression of CAV1β in sensitive cells significantly reduces their responsiveness to paclitaxel. These activities reflect an essential role for Tyr-14 phosphorylation because wtCAV1 expression, but not a phosphorylation-deficient mutant (Y14F), inactivates BCL2 and BCLxL through activation of c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK). MCF-7 cells that express Y14F are resistant to paclitaxel and are resensitized by co-treatment with ABT-737, a BH3-mimetic small molecule inhibitor. Using structural homology modeling, we propose that phosphorylation on Tyr-14 enables a favorable conformation for proteins to bind to the CAV1 scaffolding domain. Thus, we highlight novel roles for CAV1 variants in cell death; wtCAV1 promotes cell death, whereas CAV1β promotes cell survival by preventing inactivation of BCL2 and BCLxL via JNK in paclitaxel-mediated apoptosis.     

An incoherent feed‐forward loop mediates robustness and tunability in a plant immune network

Immune signaling networks must be tunable to alleviate fitness costs associated with immunity and, at the same time, robust against pathogen interferences. How these properties mechanistically emerge in plant immune signaling networks is poorly understood. Here, we discovered a molecular mechanism by which the model plant species Arabidopsis thaliana achieves robust and tunable immunity triggered by the microbe‐associated molecular pattern, flg22. Salicylic acid (SA) is a major plant immune signal molecule. Another signal molecule jasmonate (JA) induced expression of a gene essential for SA accumulation, EDS5. Paradoxically, JA inhibited expression of PAD4, a positive regulator of EDS5 expression. This incoherent type‐4 feed‐forward loop (I4‐FFL) enabled JA to mitigate SA accumulation in the intact network but to support it under perturbation of PAD4, thereby minimizing the negative impact of SA on fitness as well as conferring robust SA‐mediated immunity. We also present evidence for evolutionary conservation of these gene regulations in the family Brassicaceae. Our results highlight an I4‐FFL that simultaneously provides the immune network with robustness and tunability in A. thaliana and possibly in its relatives.     

Caveolin-1 tyrosine phosphorylation enhances paclitaxel-mediated cytotoxicity

Caveolin-1 (CAV1), a highly conserved membrane-associated protein, is a putative regulator of cellular transformation. CAV1 is localized in the plasmalemma, secretory vesicles, Golgi, mitochondria, and endoplasmic reticulum membrane and associates with the microtubule cytoskeleton. Taxanes such as paclitaxel (Taxol) are potent anti-tumor agents that repress the dynamic instability of microtubules and arrest cells in the G(2)/M phase. Src phosphorylation of Tyr-14 on CAV1 regulates its cellular localization and function. We report that phosphorylation of CAV1 on Tyr-14 regulates paclitaxel-mediated apoptosis in MCF-7 breast cancer cells. Befitting its role as a multitasking molecule, we show that CAV1 sensitizes cells to apoptosis by regulating cell cycle progression and activation of the apoptotic signaling molecules BCL2, p53, and p21. We demonstrate that phosphorylated CAV1 triggers apoptosis by inactivating BCL2 and increasing mitochondrial permeability more efficiently than non-phosphorylated CAV1. Furthermore, expression of p21, which correlates with taxane sensitivity, is regulated by CAV1 phosphorylation in a p53-dependent manner. Collectively, our findings underscore the importance of CAV1 phosphorylation in apoptosis and suggest that events that negate CAV1 tyrosine phosphorylation may contribute to anti-microtubule drug resistance.