Project description:p62/SQSTM1 was identified as a modulator of metastatic genes selectively enriched in melanoma in autophagy independent manner. iTRAQ quantitative proteomic approach was performed in melanoma cell lines (SK-Mel-103 and UACC-62) deficient for p62 to identify downstream effectors of p62. Similar studies were performed for ATG5, a core component of autophagy, as a reference for autophagy-associated changes in protein abundance. Additionally, melanoma cells were subjected to affinity purification (AP-MS) to identify the interactors of p62. Overall, these studies underscore a novel unexpected role of p62 regulating the stability of prometastatic factors via the interaction with RNA Binding Proteins, thus leading to the inhibition of protein translation.
Project description:p62/SQSTM1 was identified as a modulator of metastatic genes selectively enriched in melanoma in autophagy independent manner. iTRAQ quantitative proteomic approach was performed in melanoma cell lines (SK-Mel-103 and UACC-62) deficient for p62 to identify downstream effectors of p62. Similar studies were performed for ATG5, a core component of autophagy, as a reference for autophagy-associated changes in protein abundance. Additionally, melanoma cells were subjected to affinity purification (AP-MS) to identify the interactors of p62. Overall, these studies underscore a novel unexpected role of p62 regulating the stability of prometastatic factors via the interaction with RNA Binding Proteins, thus leading to the inhibition of protein translation.
Project description:mRNA decay factors regulate mRNA turnover by recruiting non-translating mRNAs and targeting them for degradation, yet it remains poorly understood how mRNA decay factors function in vivo to regulate specific cellular processes. Here we show that mRNA decay factors form cytoplasmic puncta in C. elegans neurons and have opposing roles in axon maintenance and regrowth. While the decapping enzymes DCAP-1/DCP1 and DCAP-2/DCP2 regulate developmental axon guidance and promote axon regrowth upon injury, the translational repressors CAR-1/LSM14 and CGH-1/DDX6 regulate axon maintenance and inhibit axon regrowth in adult animals. We identified mRNA targets of CAR-1 in neurons and found that the mitochondrial calcium uptake regulator micu-1 is repressed by CAR-1. We show that axon injury triggers a transient mitochondrial calcium influx via the MCU-1 uniporter that is more sustained in car-1 loss of function mutants. The enhanced axon regrowth and defective axon maintenance of car-1 mutants are dependent on MICU-1 function. Our results uncover specific roles for mRNA decay regulators in neurons and reveal a novel pathway that controls axon regrowth through mitochondrial calcium uptake.
Project description:Metastasis is a common cancer hallmark which however, may be acquired by tumor-type specific mechanisms. Here we identify p62/SQSTM1 as a modulator of metastatic genes selectively enriched in melanoma. Loss- and gain-of-function analyses of p62 effectors revealed FERMT2 as an indicator of poor patient prognosis. Analyses in tumor cells, clinical biopsies and genetically-engineered mice (to compare p62 vs. ATG5) demonstrated that known p62 roles in autophagy and stress responses were not essential in melanomas. Instead, a genome-wide transcriptomic/proteomic/interactomic approach demonstrated that p62 controls FERMT2 and yet additional pro-metastatic genes by modulating transcript stability. This function of p62 was exerted by recruiting RNA-binding proteins, here exemplified by IGF2BP1. These data illustrate how genetically altered cancers can coordinately fuel pro-metastatic signatures.
Project description:Metastasis is a common cancer hallmark which however, may be acquired by tumor-type specific mechanisms. Here we identify p62/SQSTM1 as a modulator of metastatic genes selectively enriched in melanoma. Loss- and gain-of-function analyses of p62 effectors revealed FERMT2 as an indicator of poor patient prognosis. Analyses in tumor cells, clinical biopsies and genetically-engineered mice (to compare p62 vs. ATG5) demonstrated that known p62 roles in autophagy and stress responses were not essential in melanomas. Instead, a genome-wide transcriptomic/proteomic/interactomic approach demonstrated that p62 controls FERMT2 and yet additional pro-metastatic genes by modulating transcript stability. This function of p62 was exerted by recruiting RNA-binding proteins, here exemplified by IGF2BP1. These data illustrate how genetically altered cancers can coordinately fuel pro-metastatic signatures.