Disruptions of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) that perturb protein folding cause ER stress and elicit an unfolded protein response (UPR) that involves translational and transcriptional changes in gene expression aimed at expanding the ER processing capacity and alleviating cellular injury. Three ER stress sensors PERK, ATF6, and IRE1 implement the UPR. PERK phosphorylation of eIF2 during ER stress represses protein synthesis, which prevents further influx of ER client proteins, along with preferential translation of ATF4, a transcription activator of the integrated stress response. In this study we show that the PERK/eIF2~P/ATF4 pathway is required not only for translational control, but also activation of ATF6 and its target genes. The PERK pathway facilitates both the synthesis of ATF6 and trafficking of ATF6 from the ER to the Golgi for intramembrane proteolysis and activation of ATF6. As a consequence, liver-specific depletion of PERK significantly reduces both the translational and transcriptional phases of the UPR, leading to reduced protein chaperone expression, disruptions of lipid metabolism, and enhanced apoptosis. These findings show that the regulatory networks of the UPR are fully integrated, and helps explain the diverse pathologies associated with loss of PERK.
The eIF2 kinase PERK and the integrated stress response facilitate activation of ATF6 during endoplasmic reticulum stress.
Specimen part, Treatment
View SamplesBRCA1, a well-known breast and ovarian cancer susceptibility gene with multiple interacting partners, is predicted to have diverse biological functions. However, to date its only well-established role is in the repair of damaged DNA and cell cycle regulation. In this regard, the etiopathological study of low penetrant variants of BRCA1 provides an opportunity to uncover its other physiologically important functions. Using this rationale, we studied the R1699Q variant of BRCA1, a potentially moderate risk variant, and found that it does not impair DNA damage repair but abrogates the repression of miR-155, a bona fide oncomir. We further show that in the absence of functional BRCA1, miR-155 is up-regulated in BRCA1-deficient mouse mammary epithelial cells, human and mouse BRCA1-deficienct breast tumor cell lines as well as tumors. Mechanistically, we found that BRCA1 represses miR-155 expression via its association with HDAC2, which deacetylates H2A and H3 on the miR-155 promoter. Finally, we show that over-expression of miR-155 accelerates whereas the knockdown of miR-155 attenuates the growth of tumor cell lines in vivo. Taken together, our findings demonstrate a new mode of tumor suppression by BRCA1 and reveal miR-155 as a potential therapeutic target for BRCA1-deficient tumors.
Tumor suppressor BRCA1 epigenetically controls oncogenic microRNA-155.
Specimen part
View SamplesWe examined the functional significance of the R1699Q variant of human BRCA1 gene using a mouse ES cell-based assay.
Tumor suppressor BRCA1 epigenetically controls oncogenic microRNA-155.
Specimen part
View Samples