Project description:Here we investigate the transcription changes in the murine intestine 4 days following loss of APC under the control of Vil-CreErT2 driver. We compare the RNAseq data from epithelial organoids generated from control (APC loss) intestines to organoids generated from lacking VAV2, VAV3 and TIAM1. We show that loss of these GEFs supress the APC WNT driven intestinal phenotype in a RAC-dependent manner.
Project description:Rac GTPases are required for neutrophil adhesion and migration, and for the neutrophil effector responses that kill pathogens. These Rac-dependent functions are impaired when neutrophils lack the activators of Rac, Rac-GEFs from the Prex, Vav and Dock families. In this study, we demonstrate that Tiam1 is also expressed in neutrophils, governing focal complexes, actin cytoskeletal dynamics, polarisation and migration, in a manner depending on the integrin ligand to which the cells adhere. Tiam1 is dispensable for the generation of reactive oxygen species but mediates degranulation and NETs release in adherent neutrophils, as well as the killing of bacteria. In vivo, Tiam1 is required for neutrophil recruitment during aseptic peritonitis and for the clearance of Streptococcus pneumoniae during pulmonary infection. However, Tiam1 functions differently to other Rac-GEFs. Instead of promoting neutrophil adhesion to ICAM1 and stimulating β2 integrin activity as could be expected, Tiam1 restricts these processes. In accordance with these paradoxical inhibitory roles, Tiam1 limits the fMLP-stimulated activation of Rac1 and Rac2 in adherent neutrophils, rather than activating Rac as expected. Tiam1 promotes the expression of several regulators of small GTPases and cytoskeletal dynamics, including αPix, Psd4, Rasa3 and Tiam2. It also controls the association of Rasa3, and potentially αPix, Git2, Psd4 and 14‐3‐3ζ/δ, with Rac. We propose these latter roles of Tiam1 underlie its effects on Rac and β2 integrin activity and on cell responses. Hence, Tiam1 is a novel regulator of Rac-dependent neutrophil responses that functions differently to other known neutrophil Rac-GEFs.
Project description:The protein Lgl has key roles in the regulation of cell polarity. We have shown that Lgl is inactivated by hyperphosphorylation in glioblastoma as a consequence of PTEN loss and aberrant activation of the PI 3-kinase pathway; this contributes to glioblastoma pathogenesis both by promoting invasion and repressing glioblastoma cell differentiation. Lgl is phosphorylated by atypical protein kinase C in a complex with Par6 and either activated Cdc42 or activated Rac. Here we have investigated the role of specific Rac guanine nucleotide exchange factors in Lgl hyperphosphorylation in glioblastoma. We used CRISPR/Cas9 to knockout PREX1, a PI 3-kinase pathway-responsive Rac guanine nucleotide exchange factor that is overexpressed in glioblastoma. Knockout of PREX1 in patient-derived glioblastoma cells resulted in a reduction in Lgl phosphorylation and this could be reversed by re-expressing PREX1. PREX1 knockout cells showed reduced motility and altered phenotype suggestive of partial neuronal differentiation; consistent with this, RNA-seq analyses of these cells identified sets of PREX1-regulated genes with roles in promoting cell motility and repressing neuronal differentiation. Knockout of PREX1 in glioblastoma cells derived from a second patient did not affect Lgl phosphorylation. These cells overexpressed a short isoform of the Rac guanine nucleotide exchange factor TIAM1; knockdown of TIAM1 in PREX1-knockout cells from this patient reduced Lgl phosphorylation. These data show that PREX1 links aberrant PI 3-kinase to Lgl phosphorylation in glioblastoma, but that TIAM1 can also promote Lgl phosphorylation in a subset of patients. While this shows redundant mechanisms for Lgl phosphorylation, PREX1 appears to have a non-redundant role in glioblastoma cell motility, as this was impaired in PREX1 knockout cells from both patients.
Project description:We hypothesized that Tiam1 is involved in invassiveness of retinoblastoma. The fuctional role of Tiam1 in cell progression and metastasis was tested by siRNA mediated knockdown of Tiam1 in retinoblastoma Y79 cells. The genes de-regulated in response to Tiam1 knockdown was analysed by cDNA microarray in which most of the actin cytoskeleton regulation proteins and apoptotic proteins were de-regulated. our results prove that Tiam1 modulates actin cytoskeleton and cell invasion in retinoblastoma. Retinoblastoma Y79 cells were treated with Tiam1 siRNA for 48hrs and cDNA microarray was performed to analyze the genes regulated by Tiam1 silencing compared to untreated Y79 cells. Experiments were performed in triplicates.
Project description:Cutaneous squamous tumors rely on autocrine/paracrine loops for proper fitness. Targeting this Achilles’ heel is therefore considered a potential avenue for patient treatment. However, the mechanisms that engage and sustain such programs during tumor ontogeny are poorly understood. Here, we show that two Rho/Rac activators, the exchange factors Vav2 and Vav3, control the expression of an epithelial autocrine/paracrine program that regulates keratinocyte survival and proliferation as well as the creation of an inflammatory microenvironment. Vav proteins are also critically involved in some of the subsequent autocrine signaling loops activated in keratinocytes. The genetic inactivation of both Vav proteins reduces tumor multiplicity without hampering skin homeostasis, thus suggesting that pan-specific Vav therapies may be useful in skin tumor prevention and treatment. The dorsal skin of WT and DKO mice (Vav2-/-;Vav3-/-) were treated with either one or four applications of phorbol ester 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13 acetate (TPA) (6.8 nmol in 200 μl acetone) two days after shaving. As control, we applied 200 μl of acetone. Animals were euthanized 24 hours after treatment.