Project description:Translational regulation plays a critical role in cell growth and proliferation, and its dysregulation results in cancer. Aberrant expression of the mRNA 5’cap-binding protein, eIF4E, has been implicated in cancer development and progression. eIF4E activity is promoted by phosphorylation. Here we show that “knock-in” mice in which eIF4E cannot be phosphorylated are resistant to tumorigenesis in a prostate cancer model. We identify multiple candidate genes involved in the resistance to oncogenic transformation. Importantly, phosphorylation of eIF4E is increased in hormone-refractory prostate cancer, the deadliest stage of the disease. Our results highlight eIF4E phosphorylation as a critical event in tumorigenesis. Comaparison of total RNA and polysomal RNA from mouse embryo fibroblasts derived from WT and eIF4E-KI (non phosphorylatable eIF4E) mice
Project description:Translational regulation plays a critical role in cell growth and proliferation, and its dysregulation results in cancer. Aberrant expression of the mRNA 5’cap-binding protein, eIF4E, has been implicated in cancer development and progression. eIF4E activity is promoted by phosphorylation. Here we show that “knock-in” mice in which eIF4E cannot be phosphorylated are resistant to tumorigenesis in a prostate cancer model. We identify multiple candidate genes involved in the resistance to oncogenic transformation. Importantly, phosphorylation of eIF4E is increased in hormone-refractory prostate cancer, the deadliest stage of the disease. Our results highlight eIF4E phosphorylation as a critical event in tumorigenesis.
Project description:Introgressed variants from other species can be an important source of genetic variation because they may arise rapidly, can include multiple mutations on a single haplotype, and have often been pretested by selection in the species of origin. Although introgressed alleles are generally deleterious, several studies have reported introgression as the source of adaptive alleles-including the rodenticide-resistant variant of Vkorc1 that introgressed from Mus spretus into European populations of Mus musculus domesticus. Here, we conducted bidirectional genome scans to characterize introgressed regions into one wild population of M. spretus from Spain and three wild populations of M. m. domesticus from France, Germany, and Iran. Despite the fact that these species show considerable intrinsic postzygotic reproductive isolation, introgression was observed in all individuals, including in the M. musculus reference genome (GRCm38). Mus spretus individuals had a greater proportion of introgression compared with M. m. domesticus, and within M. m. domesticus, the proportion of introgression decreased with geographic distance from the area of sympatry. Introgression was observed on all autosomes for both species, but not on the X-chromosome in M. m. domesticus, consistent with known X-linked hybrid sterility and inviability genes that have been mapped to the M. spretus X-chromosome. Tract lengths were generally short with a few outliers of up to 2.7 Mb. Interestingly, the longest introgressed tracts were in olfactory receptor regions, and introgressed tracts were significantly enriched for olfactory receptor genes in both species, suggesting that introgression may be a source of functional novelty even between species with high barriers to gene flow.
Project description:Acute Pten loss initiates prostate tumorigenesis characterized by cellular senescence response. Here we examine the cellular senescence response in epithelial individual cells, by single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNAseq) in Ptenpc-/- and Ptenpc-/-; Timp1-/- GEMMs. ScRNAseq analysis determines a cluster of senescent cells expressing the senescence-related genes. A significant positive correlation is observed between the senescence score and Bcl2 expression. This provides the rational for targeting senescent cells using Bcl2 inhibitor.
Project description:eIF4E, the major cap-binding protein, has long been considered limiting for translating the mammalian genome. However, the requirement for eIF4E dose at an organismal level remains unexplored. By generating an Eif4e haploinsufficient mouse, we surprisingly found that 50% reduction in eIF4E, while compatible with normal development and global protein synthesis, significantly impeded cellular transformation and tumorigenesis. Genome-wide translational profiling uncovered a translational program induced by oncogenic transformation and revealed a critical role for eIF4E dose specifically in translating a network of mRNAs enriched for a unique 5’UTR signature. In particular, we demonstrate that eIF4E dose is essential for translating mRNAs regulating reactive oxygen species (ROS) that fuel transformation and cancer cell survival in vivo. Therefore, mammalian cells have evolved surplus eIF4E levels that cancer cells hijack to drive a translational program supporting tumorigenesis Total cellular RNA and high MW polysome associated RNA were isolated from matched untransformed and transformed WT and Eif4e+/- MEFs for analysis on Affymetrix Mouse Gene 1.0 ST arrays. The difference in log2 RMA intensity between matched polysomal RNA and total RNA was taken to quantify translational efficiency (TE).
Project description:Translational research is commonly performed in the C57B6/J mouse strain, chosen for its genetic homogeneity and phenotypic uniformity. Here, we evaluate the suitability of the white-footed deer mouse (Peromyscus leucopus) as a model organism for aging research, offering a comparative analysis against C57B6/J and diversity outbred (DO) Mus musculus strains. Our study includes comparisons of body composition, skeletal muscle function, and cardiovascular parameters, shedding light on potential applications and limitations of P. leucopus in aging studies. Notably, P. leucopus exhibits distinct body composition characteristics, emphasizing reduced muscle force exertion and a unique metabolism, particularly in fat mass. Cardiovascular assessments showed changes in arterial stiffness, challenging conventional assumptions and highlighting the need for a nuanced interpretation of aging-related phenotypes. Our study also highlights inherent challenges associated with maintaining and phenotyping P. leucopus cohorts. Behavioral considerations, including anxiety-induced responses during handling and phenotyping assessment, pose obstacles in acquiring meaningful data. Moreover, the unique anatomy of P. leucopus necessitates careful adaptation of protocols designed for Mus musculus. While showcasing potential benefits, further extensive analyses across broader age ranges and larger cohorts are necessary to establish the reliability of P. leucopus as a robust and translatable model for aging studies.
Project description:Olfactomedin 4 deficiency promotes prostate neoplastic progression and is associated with upregulation of the hedgehog-signaling pathway
Project description:PIM1 is an oncogenic serine/threonine kinase that promotes and maintains prostate
tumorigenesis. To more fully understand the mechanism by which PIM1 promotes oncogenesis,
we performed a chemical genetic screen to identify direct PIM1 substrates in prostate cancer
cells. To identify PIM1 substrates and their phosphorylation sites in LNCaP cells, we coupled a
chemical genetic screen with a peptide capture, mass spectrometry (MS)-based approach. We
mutated the PIM1 gatekeeper residue in the ATP binding site to accept a bulky ATP analog. By
using an ATP analog labeled with a thiol group on the gamma-phosphate, we were able specifically
label PIM1 substrates even in the presence of other cellular kinases.