Unknown,Transcriptomics,Genomics,Proteomics

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Germline loss of PKM2 promotes metabolic distress and hepatocellular carcinoma

ABSTRACT: Alternative splicing of the Pkm gene product generates the PKM1 and PKM2 isoforms of pyruvate kinase, and PKM2 expression is closely linked to embryogenesis, tissue regeneration, and cancer. To interrogate the functional requirement for PKM2 during development and tissue homeostasis, we generated germline PKM2 null mice (Pkm2-/-). Unexpectedly, despite being the primary isoform expressed in most wild-type adult tissues, we found that Pkm2-/- mice are viable and fertile. Thus, PKM2 is not required for embryonic or postnatal development. Loss of PKM2 leads to compensatory expression of PKM1 in the tissues that normally express PKM2. Strikingly, PKM2 loss leads to spontaneous development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) with high penetrance that is accompanied by progressive changes in systemic metabolism characterized by altered systemic glucose homeostasis, inflammation, and hepatic steatosis. Therefore, in addition to its role in cancer metabolism, PKM2 plays a role in controlling systemic metabolic homeostasis and inflammation, thereby preventing HCC by a non-cell-autonomous mechanism. RNA was isolated from flash frozen ground whole liver tissue of 35 week old PKM2 KO and WT mice. Three independent mice from each condition were used as biological replicates.

ORGANISM(S): Mus musculus

SUBMITTER: A Bhutkar

PROVIDER: E-GEOD-79535 | biostudies-arrayexpress |

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-arrayexpress

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Project description:Purpose: PKM2-mediated metabolic switch to aerobic glycolysis plays a critical role in promoting cell survival and proliferation. However, little is known about the function of intestinal epithelial PKM2 in intestinal homeostasis. Here we investigated whether and how intestinal epithelial PKM2 modulates the morphology and function of the adult intestine in experimental murine colitis. Methods: Colonoscopic biopsies from the Crohn’s disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC) patients (10 each) were analyzed for PKM2 expression. We also generated intestinal epithelial-specific Pkm2 knockout mice and employed them to examine PKM2 function. Mouse intestinal inflammation was induced with dextran sulfate sodium (DSS) in drinking water. Disease phenotypes were investigated by mouse survival, body weight, colon length and analysis of immune cell infiltration in colon, intestinal epithelial cell gene profiling and signal pathway. Results: Intestinal epithelial PKM2 level in UC and CD patients was significantly decreased compared to that from non-inflamed intestinal epithelium. Similar reduction of intestinal epithelial PKM2 was observed in mice with experimental colitis. Supporting the notion that PKM2 serves as a safeguard against colitis, intestinal epithelial-specific Pkm2-deficient (Pkm2-/-) mice displayed a severer intestinal inflammation, companying with shortened colon, disruption of epithelial tight junction, higher permeability, elevation of inflammatory cytokines and immune cell infiltration, compared with wild-type mice. Gene profiling and western blot analysis indicated that cell survival signaling, particularly the Akt/β-catenin pathways, were downregulated in Pkm2-/- mice. Functional assay using mouse primary colonic epithelial cells confirmed that Pkm2 reduction decreased proliferation and migration of epithelial cells, while enhanced expression of Pkm2 was associated with increased transcriptional activity of β-catenin. Moreover, increasing mouse intestinal epithelial Pkm2 expression via delivery of Pkm2-expressing plasmid attenuated DSS-induced experimental colitis. Conclusions: Intestinal epithelial PKM2, through activating Wnt/β-catenin signaling, induces a strong proliferative and migratory response that increases cell survival and wound healing under colitic condition.