electroporation-of-functional-bacterial-effectors-into-mammalian-cells

Electroporation of Functional Bacterial Effectors into Mammalian Cells

The study of protein interactions in the context of living cells can generate critical information about localization, dynamics, and interacting partners. ...

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

The shuttling of activated protein kinases between the cytoplasm and nucleus is an essential feature of normal growth factor signaling cascades. Here we demonstrate that transforming growth factor alpha (TGFα) induces oscillations in extracellular signal regulated kinase (ERK) cytoplasmic-nuclear translocations in human keratinocytes. TGFα-dependent ERK oscillations mediated through the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) are inhibited by low dose X-irradiation (10 cGy) and low concentrations of hydrogen peroxide (0.32-3.26 µM H(2)O(2)) used as a model reactive oxygen species (ROS). A fluorescent indicator dye (H2-DCFDA) was used to measure cellular ROS levels following X-irradiation, 12-O-tetradecanoyl phorbol-13-acetate (TPA) and H(2)O(2). X-irradiation did not generate significant ROS production while 0.32 µM H(2)O(2) and TPA induced significant increases in ROS levels with H(2)O(2)  > TPA. TPA alone induced transactivation of the EGFR but did not induce ERK oscillations. TPA as a cotreatment did not inhibit TGFα-stimulated ERK oscillations but qualitatively altered TGFα-dependent ERK oscillation characteristics (amplitude, time-period). Collectively, these observations demonstrate that TGFα-induced ERK oscillations are inhibited by ionizing radiation/ROS and perturbed by epigenetic carcinogen in human keratinocytes.

Inhibition of ERK oscillations by ionizing radiation and reactive oxygen species.

Many lung carcinogens activate mitogen activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathways and DNA methyltransferases (DNMTs) are under investigation as therapeutic targets for lung cancer. Our goal is to determine whether C10 type II alveolar epithelial cells are a sensitive model to investigate ERK-dependent transformation and DNMT expression patterns in experimental lung cancer.

Ectopic ERK expression induces phenotypic conversion of C10 cells and alters DNA methyltransferase expression.

We previously established annexin A2 as a radioresponsive protein associated with anchorage independent growth in murine epidermal cells. In this study, we demonstrate annexin A2 nuclear translocation in human skin organotypic culture and murine epidermal cells after exposure to X radiation (10-200 cGy), supporting a conserved nuclear function for annexin A2. Whole genome expression profiling in the presence and absence of annexin A2 [shRNA] identified fundamentally altered transcriptional programming that changes the radioresponsive transcriptome. Bioinformatics predicted that silencing AnxA2 may enhance cell death responses to stress in association with reduced activation of pro-survival signals such as nuclear factor kappa B. This prediction was validated by demonstrating a significant increase in sensitivity toward tumor necrosis factor alpha-induced cell death in annexin A2 silenced cells, relative to vector controls, associated with reduced nuclear translocation of RelA (p65) following tumor necrosis factor alpha treatment. These observations implicate an annexin A2 niche in cell fate regulation such that AnxA2 protects cells from radiation-induced apoptosis to maintain cellular homeostasis at low-dose radiation.

Annexin A2 modulates radiation-sensitive transcriptional programming and cell fate.

Physiological variation related to circadian rhythms and aberrant gene expression patterns are believed to modulate therapeutic efficacy, but the precise molecular determinants remain unclear. Here we examine the regulation of cell death by hepatic leukemia factor (HLF), which is an output regulator of circadian rhythms and is aberrantly expressed in human cancers, using an ectopic expression strategy in JB6 mouse epidermal cells and human keratinocytes. Ectopic HLF expression inhibited cell death in both JB6 cells and human keratinocytes, as induced by serum-starvation, tumor necrosis factor alpha and ionizing radiation. Microarray analysis indicates that HLF regulates a complex multi-gene transcriptional program encompassing upregulation of anti-apoptotic genes, downregulation of pro-apoptotic genes, and many additional changes that are consistent with an anti-death program. Collectively, our results demonstrate that ectopic expression of HLF, an established transcription factor that cycles with circadian rhythms, can recapitulate many features associated with circadian-dependent physiological variation.

Hepatic leukemia factor promotes resistance to cell death: implications for therapeutics and chronotherapy.

Human phenotypes that are highly susceptible to radiation carcinogenesis have been identified. Sensitive phenotypes often display robust regulation of molecular features that modify biological response, which can facilitate identification of the pathways/networks that contribute to pathophysiological outcomes. Here we interrogate primary dermal fibroblasts isolated from Gorlin syndrome patients (GDFs), who display a pronounced inducible tumorigenic response to radiation, in comparison to normal human dermal fibroblasts (NHDFs). Our approach exploits newly developed thiol reactive probes to define changes in protein thiol profiles in live cell studies, which minimizes artifacts associated with cell lysis. Redox probes revealed deficient expression of an apparent 55 kDa protein thiol in GDFs from independent Gorlin syndrome patients, compared with NHDFs. Proteomics tentatively identified this protein as aldehyde dehydrogenase 1A1 (ALDH1A1), a key enzyme regulating retinoic acid synthesis, and ALDH1A1 protein deficiency in GDFs was confirmed by Western blot. A number of additional protein thiol differences in GDFs were identified, including radiation responsive annexin family members and lamin A/C. Collectively, candidates identified in our study have plausible implications for radiation health effects and cancer susceptibility. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Ryan L. Sontag

Biological Sciences Division

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Electroporation of Functional Bacterial Effectors into Mammalian Cells