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© 2016 IBCB, SIBS, CAS All rights reserved. Breast cancer is the most common female cancer, affecting approximately one in eight women during their life-time. Besides environmental triggers and hormones, inherited mutations in the breast cancer 1 (BRCA1) or BRCA2 genes markedly increase the risk for the development of breast cancer. Here, using two different mouse models, we show that genetic inactivation of the key osteoclast differentiation factor RANK in the mammary epithelium markedly delayed onset, reduced incidence, and attenuated progression of Brca1;p53 mutation-driven mammary cancer. Long-term pharmacological inhibition of the RANK ligand RANKL in mice abolished the occurrence of Brca1 mutation-driven pre-neoplastic lesions. Mechanistically, genetic inactivation of Rank or RANKL/RANK blockade impaired proliferation and expansion of both murine Brca1;p53 mutant mammary stem cells and mammary progenitors from human BRCA1 mutation carriers. In addition, genome variations within the RANK locus were significantly associated with risk of developing breast cancer in women with BRCA1 mutations. Thus, RANKL/RANK control progenitor cell expansion and tumorigenesis in inherited breast cancer. These results present a viable strategy for the possible prevention of breast cancer in BRCA1 mutant patients.

Summary The HECT domain E3 ligase HACE1 has been identified as a tumor suppressor in multiple cancers. Here, we report that HACE1 is a central gatekeeper of TNFR1-induced cell fate. Genetic inactivation of HACE1 inhibits TNF-stimulated NF-κB activation and TNFR1-NF-κB-dependent pathogen clearance in vivo. Moreover, TNF-induced apoptosis was impaired in hace1 mutant cells and knockout mice in vivo. Mechanistically, HACE1 is essential for the ubiquitylation of the adaptor protein TRAF2 and formation of the apoptotic caspase-8 effector complex. Intriguingly, loss of HACE1 does not impair TNFR1-mediated necroptotic cell fate via RIP1 and RIP3 kinases. Loss of HACE1 predisposes animals to colonic inflammation and carcinogenesis in vivo, which is markedly alleviated by genetic inactivation of RIP3 kinase and TNFR1. Thus, HACE1 controls TNF-elicited cell fate decisions and exerts tumor suppressor and anti-inflammatory activities via a TNFR1-RIP3 kinase-necroptosis pathway., Graphical Abstract, Highlights • Hace1 deficiency impairs TNF-driven NF-κB activation and apoptosis • Necroptosis via RIP1/RIP3/MLKL is still functional in the absence of Hace1 • Hace1–/– animals show enhanced severity of colitis and colon cancer • Genetic inactivation of RIP3 and TNFR1 reverts the phenotype of hace1–/– mice, Tortola et al. report that the E3 ubiquitin ligase HACE1 is a gatekeeper of TNFR1-mediated cell fate. Hace1 deficiency impairs TNF-driven NF-κB activation and apoptosis and predisposes cells to necroptosis. Consequently, hace1–/– mice show enhanced colitis and colon cancer, which can be reverted by inactivation of pro-necroptotic kinase RIP3 and TNFR1.

Angiotensin -converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) is a regulator of the renin angiotensin system involved in acute lung failure, cardiovascular functions and severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) infections in mammals. A gene encoding a homologue to ACE2, termed collectrin (Tmem27), has been identified in immediate proximity to the ace2 locus. The in vivo function of collectrin was unclear. Here we report that targeted disruption of collectrin in mice results in a severe defect in renal amino acid uptake owing to downregulation of apical amino acid transporters in the kidney. Collectrin associates with multiple apical transporters and defines a novel group of renal amino acid transporters. Expression of collectrin in Xenopus oocytes and Madin-Darby canine kidney (MDCK) cells enhances amino acid transport by the transporter B(0)AT1. These data identify collectrin as a key regulator of renal amino acid uptake.

This work was designed to study the expression of the vasodilator peptide angiotensin-(1-7) [Ang-(1-7)] and its generating enzyme (ACE2) in the uteroplacental interface. Placentas were obtained from 11 early pregnancy failures (5 miscarriages and 6 ectopic pregnancies), 15 normotensive, and 10 preeclamptic gestations. In placental villi, the main sites of immunocytochemical expression of Ang-(1-7) and ACE2 were the syncytiotrophoblast, cytotrophoblast, endothelium and vascular smooth muscle of primary and secondary villi. Syncitial Ang-(1-7) expression in samples obtained from miscarriages and ectopic pregnancies was increased compared to normal term pregnancy [2.0 (2.0-2.25 for the 25 and 75% interquartile range) vs 1.3 (1.0-1.9), p

Antigen-specific immunotolerance limits the expansion of self-reactive T cells involved in autoimmune diseases. Here, we show that the E3 ubiquitin ligase Cbl-b is upregulated in T cells after tolerizing signals. Loss of Cbl-b in mice results in impaired induction of T cell tolerance both in vitro and in vivo. Importantly, rechallenge of Cbl-b mutant mice with the tolerizing antigen results in massive lethality. Moreover, ablation of Cbl-b resulted in exacerbated autoimmunity. Mechanistically, loss of Cbl-b rescues reduced calcium mobilization of anergic T cells, which was attributed to Cbl-b-mediated regulation of PLCγ-1 phosphorylation. Our results show a critical role for Cbl-b in the regulation of peripheral tolerance and anergy of T cells.

Background— We have recently shown that genetic inactivation of phosphoinositide 3-kinase γ (PI3Kγ), the isoform linked to G-protein–coupled receptors, results in increased cardiac contractility with no effect on basal cell size. Signaling via the G-protein–coupled β-adrenergic receptors has been implicated in cardiac hypertrophy and heart failure, suggesting that PI3Kγ might play a role in the pathogenesis of heart disease. Methods and Results— To determine the role for PI3Kγ in hypertrophy induced by G-protein–coupled receptors and cardiomyopathy, we infused isoproterenol, a β-adrenergic receptor agonist, into PI3Kγ-deficient mice. Compared with controls, isoproterenol infusion in PI3Kγ-deficient mice resulted in an attenuated cardiac hypertrophic response and markedly reduced interstitial fibrosis. Intriguingly, chronic β-adrenergic receptor stimulation triggered impaired heart functions in wild-type mice, whereas PI3Kγ-deficient mice retained their increased heart function and did not develop heart failure. The lack of PI3Kγ attenuated the activation of Akt/protein kinase B and extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 signaling pathways in cardiac myocytes in response to isoproterenol. β 1 - and β 2 -adrenergic receptor densities were decreased by similar amounts in PI3Kγ-deficient and control mice, suggesting that PI3Kγ isoform plays no role in the downregulation of β-adrenergic receptors after chronic β-adrenergic stimulation. Conclusions— Our data show that PI3Kγ is critical for the induction of hypertrophy, fibrosis, and cardiac dysfunction function in response to β-adrenergic receptor stimulation in vivo. Thus, PI3Kγ may represent a novel therapeutic target for the treatment of decreased cardiac function in heart failure.

Meiosis is a critical stage of gametogenesis in which alignment and synapsis of chromosomal pairs occur, allowing for the recombination of maternal and paternal genomes. Here we show that FK506 binding protein (Fkbp6) localizes to meiotic chromosome cores and regions of homologous chromosome synapsis. Targeted inactivation of Fkbp6 in mice results in aspermic males and the absence of normal pachytene spermatocytes. Moreover, we identified the deletion of Fkbp6 exon 8 as the causative mutation in spontaneously male sterile as / as mutant rats. Loss of Fkbp6 results in abnormal pairing and misalignments between homologous chromosomes, nonhomologous partner switches, and autosynapsis of X chromosome cores in meiotic spermatocytes. Fertility and meiosis are normal in Fkbp6 mutant females. Thus, Fkbp6 is a component of the synaptonemal complex essential for sex-specific fertility and for the fidelity of homologous chromosome pairing in meiosis.

Cardiovascular diseases are predicted to be the most common cause of death worldwide by 2020. Here we show that angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ace2) maps to a defined quantitative trait locus (QTL) on the X chromosome in three different rat models of hypertension. In all hypertensive rat strains, ACE2 messenger RNA and protein expression were markedly reduced, suggesting that ace2 is a candidate gene for this QTL. Targeted disruption of ACE2 in mice results in a severe cardiac contractility defect, increased angiotensin II levels, and upregulation of hypoxia-induced genes in the heart. Genetic ablation of ACE on an ACE2 mutant background completely rescues the cardiac phenotype. But disruption of ACER, a Drosophila ACE2 homologue, results in a severe defect of heart morphogenesis. These genetic data for ACE2 show that it is an essential regulator of heart function in vivo.

Disruption of the signaling pathways mediated by the receptor tyrosine kinase Tek/Tie2 has shown that this receptor plays a pivotal role in vascularization of the developing embryo. In this report, we have utilized the tetracycline-responsive binary transgenic system to overcome the early lethal cardiovascular defects associated with the tekDeltasp null allele in order to investigate the role of Tek in later stages of vessel growth. We show for the first time in vivo that synchronized loss of tek expression correlates with rapid endothelial cell apoptosis in hemorrhagic regions of the embryo, demonstrating an ongoing requirement for Tek-mediated signal transduction in vascular maintenance.

Ship is an Src homology 2 domain containing inositol polyphosphate 5-phosphatase which has been implicated as an important signaling molecule in hematopoietic cells. In B cells, Ship becomes associated with Fcgamma receptor IIB (FcgammaRIIB), a low affinity receptor for the Fc portion of immunoglobulin (Ig)G, and is rapidly tyrosine phosphorylated upon B cell antigen receptor (BCR)-FcgammaRIIB coligation. The function of Ship in lymphocytes was investigated in Ship-/- recombination-activating gene (Rag)-/- chimeric mice generated from gene-targeted Ship-/- embryonic stem cells. Ship-/-Rag-/- chimeras showed reduced numbers of B cells and an overall increase in basal serum Ig. Ship-/- splenic B cells displayed prolonged Ca2+ influx, increased proliferation in vitro, and enhanced mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) activation in response to BCR-FcgammaRIIB coligation. These results demonstrate that Ship plays an essential role in FcgammaRIIB-mediated inhibition of BCR signaling, and that Ship is a crucial negative regulator of Ca2+ flux and MAPK activation.

The ability to tightly control transgene expression in vivo provides an opportunity to determine the role of certain gene products at different times during development and/or in response to different stimuli. We have characterized and evaluated a tetracycline-responsive endothelial-specific binary system during mouse development, by engineering several transgenic lines which drive the expression of a tetracycline- controlled transactivator (tTA) under the control of either the Tek or Tie promoters (driver lines). We have also generated a responder line which carries multiple copies of the tTA DNA binding element (tetos) upstream of a reporter gene coding for a nuclear targeted β-galactosidase (responder lines). No expression of the target transgene was detected in mice homozygous for the reporter transgene. On mating the driver lines with the responder line, expression of β-galactosidase from the reporter transgene was detected within the endothelium. Responder transgene expression was repressed rapidly upon addition of doxycycline to the drinking water. Importantly, this repression was reversible upon withdrawal of the drug. This approach should be useful to deliver the expression of potentially toxic gene products or rescue embryonic mutations that affect either the endothelial lineage or production of growth factors which are secreted systemically.

Josef Penninger and colleagues generate mice with conditional knockout of Jagn1 in hematopoietic cells. They show that the mice have a defective neutrophil-mediated immune response to Candida albicans, and GM-CSF treatment restored the defective fungicidal activity. Neutrophils are key innate immune effector cells that are essential to fighting bacterial and fungal pathogens. Here we report that mice carrying a hematopoietic lineage–specific deletion of Jagn1 (encoding Jagunal homolog 1) cannot mount an efficient neutrophil-dependent immune response to the human fungal pathogen Candida albicans. Global glycobiome analysis identified marked alterations in the glycosylation of proteins involved in cell adhesion and cytotoxicity in Jagn1-deficient neutrophils. Functional analysis confirmed marked defects in neutrophil migration in response to Candida albicans infection and impaired formation of cytotoxic granules, as well as defective myeloperoxidase release and killing of Candida albicans. Treatment with granulocyte/macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) protected mutant mice from increased weight loss and accelerated mortality after Candida albicans challenge. Notably, GM-CSF also restored the defective fungicidal activity of bone marrow cells from humans with JAGN1 mutations. These data directly identify Jagn1 (JAGN1 in humans) as a new regulator of neutrophil function in microbial pathogenesis and uncover a potential treatment option for humans.

Two rat brain Na channel alpha-subunit cDNAs, named RII and RIIA, have almost identical coding regions, with a divergence of only 36 nucleotides (0.6%) over a total length of 6015 residues. A cluster of 20 divergent residues occurs within a 90 nucleotide segment of cDNA sequence. We now demonstrate that this 90 nucleotide segment is encoded twice in the RII/RIIA genomic sequence. Furthermore, the mutually exclusive selection of these two exons is developmentally regulated. RII mRNAs are relatively abundant at birth but are gradually replaced by RIIA mRNAs as development proceeds. The two mRNAs also appear to have different regional distributions in the developing rat brain. Strikingly, although 30 amino acids are encoded by each alternative exon, only amino acid position 209 is altered between the two, specifying asparagine in RII and aspartate in RIIA. Alternative RNA splicing may modulate the RII/RIIA sodium channel properties during neuronal development.

International audience; Type-2 diabetes results from the development of insulin resistance and a concomitant impairment of insulin secretion. Recent studies place altered mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation (OxPhos) as an underlying genetic element of insulin resistance. However, the causative or compensatory nature of these OxPhos changes has yet to be proven. Here, we show that muscle- and liver-specific AIF ablation in mice initiates a pattern of OxPhos deficiency closely mimicking that of human insulin resistance, and contrary to current expectations, results in increased glucose tolerance, reduced fat mass, and increased insulin sensitivity. These results are maintained upon high-fat feeding and in both genetic mosaic and ubiquitous OxPhos-deficient mutants. Importantly, the effects of AIF on glucose metabolism are acutely inducible and reversible. These findings establish that tissue-specific as well as global OxPhos defects in mice can counteract the development of insulin resistance, diabetes, and obesity.

Apelin constitutes a novel endogenous peptide system suggested to be involved in a broad range of physiological functions, including cardiovascular function, heart development, control of fluid homeostasis, and obesity. Apelin is also a catalytic substrate for angiotensin-converting enzyme 2, the key severe acute respiratory syndrome receptor. The in vivo physiological role of Apelin is still elusive. Here we report the generation of Apelin gene–targeted mice. Apelin mutant mice are viable and fertile, appear healthy, and exhibit normal body weight, water and food intake, heart rates, and heart morphology. Intriguingly, aged Apelin knockout mice developed progressive impairment of cardiac contractility associated with systolic dysfunction in the absence of histological abnormalities. We also report that pressure overload induces upregulation of Apelin expression in the heart. Importantly, in pressure overload–induced heart failure, loss of Apelin did not significantly affect the hypertrophy response, but Apelin mutant mice developed progressive heart failure. Global gene expression arrays and hierarchical clustering of differentially expressed genes in hearts of banded Apelin −/y and Apelin +/y mice showed concerted upregulation of genes involved in extracellular matrix remodeling and muscle contraction. These genetic data show that the endogenous peptide Apelin is crucial to maintain cardiac contractility in pressure overload and aging.

Transformation and cancer growth are regulated by the coordinate actions of oncogenes and tumor suppressors. Here, we show that the novel E3 ubiquitin ligase HACE1 is frequently downregulated in human tumors and maps to a region of chromosome 6q21 implicated in multiple human cancers. Genetic inactivation of HACE1 in mice results in the development of spontaneous, late-onset cancer. A second hit from either environmental triggers or genetic heterozygosity of another tumor suppressor, p53, markedly increased tumor incidence in a Hace1-deficient background. Re-expression of HACE1 in human tumor cells directly abrogates in vitro and in vivo tumor growth, whereas downregulation of HACE1 via siRNA allows non-tumorigenic human cells to form tumors in vivo. Mechanistically, the tumor-suppressor function of HACE1 is dependent on its E3 ligase activity and HACE1 controls adhesion-dependent growth and cell cycle progression during cell stress through degradation of cyclin D1. Thus, HACE1 is a candidate chromosome 6q21 tumor-suppressor gene involved in multiple cancers.

Bone metastases are a frequent complication of many cancers that result in severe disease burden and pain. Since the late nineteenth century, it has been thought that the microenvironment of the local host tissue actively participates in the propensity of certain cancers to metastasize to specific organs, and that bone provides an especially fertile 'soil'. In the case of breast cancers, the local chemokine milieu is now emerging as an explanation for why these tumours preferentially metastasize to certain organs. However, as the inhibition of chemokine receptors in vivo only partially blocks metastatic behaviour, other factors must exist that regulate the preferential metastasis of breast cancer cells. Here we show that the cytokine RANKL (receptor activator of NF-kappaB ligand) triggers migration of human epithelial cancer cells and melanoma cells that express the receptor RANK. RANK is expressed on cancer cell lines and breast cancer cells in patients. In a mouse model of melanoma metastasis, in vivo neutralization of RANKL by osteoprotegerin results in complete protection from paralysis and a marked reduction in tumour burden in bones but not in other organs. Our data show that local differentiation factors such as RANKL have an important role in cell migration and the tissue-specific metastatic behaviour of cancer cells.

Drug hope for SARS The SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) epidemic of 2003 caused almost 800 deaths, many of them due to acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) as a complication. There are no effective drugs available for treating ARDS, but new work in mice suggests that ACE2 (angiotensin-converting enzyme 2) might be an option. ACE2 can protect mice from lung injury in an ARDS-like syndrome, whereas other components of the renin–angiotensin system for controlling blood pressure and salt balance actually make the condition worse. ACE2 is expressed in the healthy lung but downregulated by lung injury and it was shown recently (Nature 426, 450–454; 2003) to be a receptor for the SARS coronavirus. Supplementary information The online version of this article (doi:10.1038/nature03712) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users., Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), the most severe form of acute lung injury, is a devastating clinical syndrome with a high mortality rate (30–60%) (refs 1–3). Predisposing factors for ARDS are diverse1,3 and include sepsis, aspiration, pneumonias and infections with the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) coronavirus4,5. At present, there are no effective drugs for improving the clinical outcome of ARDS1,2,3. Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) and ACE2 are homologues with different key functions in the renin–angiotensin system6,7,8. ACE cleaves angiotensin I to generate angiotensin II, whereas ACE2 inactivates angiotensin II and is a negative regulator of the system. ACE2 has also recently been identified as a potential SARS virus receptor and is expressed in lungs9,10. Here we report that ACE2 and the angiotensin II type 2 receptor (AT2) protect mice from severe acute lung injury induced by acid aspiration or sepsis. However, other components of the renin–angiotensin system, including ACE, angiotensin II and the angiotensin II type 1a receptor (AT1a), promote disease pathogenesis, induce lung oedemas and impair lung function. We show that mice deficient for Ace show markedly improved disease, and also that recombinant ACE2 can protect mice from severe acute lung injury. Our data identify a critical function for ACE2 in acute lung injury, pointing to a possible therapy for a syndrome affecting millions of people worldwide every year. Supplementary information The online version of this article (doi:10.1038/nature03712) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Previously we demonstrated that kidney concentration and urinary excretion of angiotensin-(1-7) are increased during normal pregnancy in rats. Since this finding may reflect local kidney production of angiotensin-(1-7), we determined the immunocytochemical distribution of angiotensin-(1-7) and its newly described processing enzyme, ACE2, in kidneys of virgin and 19-day-pregnant Sprague-Dawley rats. Sprague-Dawley rats were killed at the 19th day of pregnancy, and tissues were prepared for immunocytochemical by using a polyclonal antibody to angiotensin- (1-7) or a monoclonal antibody to ACE2. Angiotensin-(1-7) immunostaining was predominantly localized to the renal tubules traversing both the inner cortex and outer medulla. ACE2 immunostaining was localized throughout the cortex and outer medulla and was visualized in the renal tubules of both virgin and pregnant rats. The quantification of angiotensin-(1-7) and ACE2 immunocytochemical staining showed that in pregnant animals, the intensity of the staining increased by 56% and 117%, respectively ( P

The PTEN/PI3K signaling pathway regulates a vast array of fundamental cellular responses. We show that cardiomyocyte-specific inactivation of tumor suppressor PTEN results in hypertrophy, and unexpectedly, a dramatic decrease in cardiac contractility. Analysis of double-mutant mice revealed that the cardiac hypertrophy and the contractility defects could be genetically uncoupled. PI3Kalpha mediates the alteration in cell size while PI3Kgamma acts as a negative regulator of cardiac contractility. Mechanistically, PI3Kgamma inhibits cAMP production and hypercontractility can be reverted by blocking cAMP function. These data show that PTEN has an important in vivo role in cardiomyocyte hypertrophy and GPCR signaling and identify a function for the PTEN-PI3Kgamma pathway in the modulation of heart muscle contractility.

Martin and Mundy 1 emphasize the crucial role played by osteoclasts in the metastasis of many tumour types to bone. Our intention was not to question the importance of osteoclasts in bone metastases, but rather to show that RANK ligand (RANKL) exerts additional action on cancer cells beyond its effects on osteoclasts2. We reported that epithelial tumour cells can express RANK, a finding that is supported by earlier work3; that RANKL has chemotactic activity4; and that in vivo inhibition of RANKL by osteoprotegerin reduces tumour burden in bone when assessed in a previously published experimental system5.

Crude extracts of vegetative cells of the cellulolytic myxobacter Polyangium cellulosum contained significant levels of the enzymes of the tricarboxylic acid cycle and the glyoxylate cycle. Key enzymes of glycolysis and the pentose phosphate shunt were also detected. Specific activities of hexokinase and fructose- 1,6-diphosphate aldolase exhibited a 10-fold increase when the cells were grown in complex medium containing glucose. Cytochromes of a, b, and c type were demonstrated. By the use of a dispersly growing strain of P. cellulosum, its generation time was determined to be 22–24 h. This study suggests that the organism probably uses glycolysis and citric acid cycle for complete oxidation of glucose. The exact role of the glyoxylate cycle and pentose phosphate shunt cannot be deduced from this study. This is the first report on the study of intermediary carbohydrate metabolism in any member of the family Polyangiaceae.