Control of the adaptive response of the heart to stress via the Notch1 receptor pathway

In the damaged heart, cardiac adaptation relies primarily on cardiomyocyte hypertrophy. The recent discovery of cardiac stem cells in the postnatal heart, however, suggests that these cells could participate in the response to stress via their capacity to regenerate cardiac tissues. Using models of cardiac hypertrophy and failure, we demonstrate that components of the Notch pathway are up-regulated in the hypertrophic heart. The Notch pathway is an evolutionarily conserved cell-to-cell communication system, which is crucial in many developmental processes. Notch also plays key roles in the regenerative capacity of self-renewing organs. In the heart, Notch1 signaling takes place in cardiomyocytes and in mesenchymal cardiac precursors and is activated secondary to stimulated Jagged1 expression on the surface of cardiomyocytes. Using mice lacking Notch1 expression specifically in the heart, we show that the Notch1 pathway controls pathophysiological cardiac remodeling. In the absence of Notch1, cardiac hypertrophy is exacerbated, fibrosis develops, function is altered, and the mortality rate increases. Therefore, in cardiomyocytes, Notch controls maturation, limits the extent of the hypertrophic response, and may thereby contribute to cell survival. In cardiac precursors, Notch prevents cardiogenic differentiation, favors proliferation, and may facilitate the expansion of a transient amplifying cell compartment.     

Parabronchial smooth muscle constitutes an airway epithelial stem cell niche in the mouse lung after injury

During lung development, parabronchial SMC (PSMC) progenitors in the distal mesenchyme secrete fibroblast growth factor 10 (Fgf10), which acts on distal epithelial progenitors to promote their proliferation. β-catenin signaling within PSMC progenitors is essential for their maintenance, proliferation, and expression of Fgf10. Here, we report that this Wnt/Fgf10 embryonic signaling cascade is reactivated in mature PSMCs after naphthalene-induced injury to airway epithelium. Furthermore, we found that this paracrine Fgf10 action was essential for activating surviving variant Clara cells (the cells in the airway epithelium from which replacement epithelial cells originate) located at the bronchoalveolar duct junctions and adjacent to neuroendocrine bodies. After naphthalene injury, PSMCs secreted Fgf10 to activate Notch signaling and induce Snai1 expression in surviving variant Clara cells, which subsequently underwent a transient epithelial to mesenchymal transition to initiate the repair process. Epithelial Snai1 expression was important for regeneration after injury. We have therefore identified PSMCs as a stem cell niche for the variant Clara cells in the lung and established that paracrine Fgf10 signaling from the niche is critical for epithelial repair after naphthalene injury. These findings also have implications for understanding the misregulation of lung repair in asthma and cancer.     

Notch1 is an effector of Akt and hypoxia in melanoma development

Melanomas are highly aggressive neoplasms resistant to most conventional therapies. These tumors result from the interaction of altered intracellular tumor suppressors and oncogenes with the microenvironment in which these changes occur. We previously demonstrated that physiologic skin hypoxia contributes to melanomagenesis in conjunction with Akt activation. Here we show that Notch1 signaling is elevated in human melanoma samples and cell lines and is required for Akt and hypoxia to transform melanocytes in vitro. Notch1 facilitated melanoma development in a xenograft model by maintaining cell proliferation and by protecting cells from stress-induced cell death. Hyperactivated PI3K/Akt signaling led to upregulation of Notch1 through NF-kappaB activity, while the low oxygen content normally found in skin increased mRNA and protein levels of Notch1 via stabilization of HIF-1alpha. Taken together, these findings demonstrate that Notch1 is a key effector of both Akt and hypoxia in melanoma development and identify the Notch signaling pathway as a potential therapeutic target in melanoma treatment.     

Vital roles of mTOR complex 2 in Notch-driven thymocyte differentiation and leukemia

Notch plays critical roles in both cell fate decisions and tumorigenesis. Notch receptor engagement initiates signaling cascades that include a phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/target of rapamycin (TOR) pathway. Mammalian TOR (mTOR) participates in two distinct biochemical complexes, mTORC1 and mTORC2, and the relationship between mTORC2 and physiological outcomes dependent on Notch signaling is unknown. In this study, we report contributions of mTORC2 to thymic T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) driven by Notch. Conditional deletion of Rictor, an essential component of mTORC2, impaired Notch-driven proliferation and differentiation of pre-T cells. Furthermore, NF-κB activity depended on the integrity of mTORC2 in thymocytes. Active Akt restored NF-κB activation, a normal rate of proliferation, and differentiation of Rictor-deficient pre-T cells. Strikingly, mTORC2 depletion lowered CCR7 expression in thymocytes and leukemic cells, accompanied by decreased tissue invasion and delayed mortality in T-ALL driven by Notch. Collectively, these findings reveal roles for mTORC2 in promoting thymic T cell development and T-ALL and indicate that mTORC2 is crucial for Notch signaling to regulate Akt and NF-κB.     

蛇床子素可促进体外培养神经干细胞的增殖

背景：神经干细胞具有自我更新和多向分化潜能,但正常情况下,神经干细胞数目太少,且大部分处于静息状态,促进其增殖是神经干细胞治疗神经退行性疾病的关键。目的：观察蛇床子素对体外培养的神经干细胞增殖作用的影响,分析其促进增殖能力的作用机制。方法：体外培养神经干细胞,在增殖培养基中培养至第3代,加入不同浓度的蛇床子素（10,50和100μmol/L）作用24 h用CCK-8法检测细胞活力,再培养3,5,7 d后测量神经球半径,用免疫荧光组化法计数Ki67阳性细胞数目;再培养3 d后利用RT-PCR技术检测神经干细胞中Notch 1、Hes 1和Mash 1基因表达的情况。结果与结论：与正常组比较,50,100μmol/L的蛇床子素具有明显促进神经干细胞增殖能力的作用,100μmol/L作用最为显著,可引起Notch 1基因、Hes 1基因上调表达,对Mash 1基因基本无影响,说明蛇床子素对体外培养的神经干细胞具有促进增殖作用,其作用机制可能与激活Notch信号通路上的Notch 1、Hes 1基因有关。     

Notch信号通路和多发性骨髓瘤

Notch信号通路是介导细胞和细胞之间直接接触的主要信号通路之一,调控了多细胞机体的细胞凋亡、增殖和分化,是造血微环境调节造血细胞增殖与分化的重要信号通路,与多种血液系统恶性肿瘤的发病有关。多发性骨髓瘤（multiple myeloma,MM）是以浆细胞克隆性增殖为特征的B系肿瘤。由于骨髓瘤细胞的增殖比例低及多药耐药的形成,因此其对常规剂量的化疗药耐药,使得MM的临床治疗仍十分困难。近年来的研究发现,多发性骨髓瘤病人肿瘤细胞和骨髓瘤细胞株都大量表达Notch的配体Jagged-2,而正常的浆细胞或是其它恶性疾病来源的病人肿瘤细胞低量表达Jagged-2。Jagged-2可诱导基质细胞分泌白介素6（IL-6）、血管内皮生长因子（vascular endothelial growth factor,VEGF）、胰岛素样生长因子－1（Insulin—like growth factor 1,IGF－1）。Notch信号通路激活后可通过与NF－κB,C—myc的相互作用,调节细胞的增殖,促进骨髓瘤细胞的生长,从而抑制骨髓瘤细胞的凋亡,它与骨髓瘤的发生和耐药有关。抑制Notch信号通路能诱导骨髓瘤细胞的凋亡,增强化疗药的细胞毒作用。研究表明,单独使用Notch信号通路的特异性化学抑制剂γ－分泌酶抑制剂（γ－secrctase inhibitors,GSI）可通过特异性阻滞Notch信号通路从而诱导骨髓瘤细胞的凋亡,并且与传统化疗药物联合应用可以增强骨髓瘤细胞对化疗药的敏感性。本文就Notch信号通路的组成、Notch信号通路的作用机制及Notch信号通路与多发性骨髓瘤的关系进行综述．     

联合抑制Notch2和MEK/ERK通路对胃癌细胞增殖的影响

目的探讨Notch2和MEK/ERK信号通路在胃癌细胞SGC-7901中是否存在交叉作用。方法采用体外化学合成的特异性针对Notch2的siRNA(Notch2siRNA)和丝裂原激活蛋白激酶(MEK)/细胞外信号调节激酶(ERK)信号通路的抑制剂PD98059,分别单独和联合处理体外培养的胃癌SGC-7901细胞,以转染阴性对照siRNA(control siRNA)细胞作为siRNA对照组,并设不给予任何转染的空白对照组。免疫印迹(Western Blotting)法检测磷酸化ERK1/2(p-ERK)1/2和Notch2蛋白的表达水平。比色法(MTT)检测癌细胞增殖抑制率。结果Notch2siRNA能降低蛋白Notch2的表达水平,并抑制癌细胞增殖[(38.26±1.82)%],而p-ERK的表达水平则较对照组增加。PD98059能降低p-ERK的表达水平,并抑制癌细胞的增殖[(30.05±3.16)%],Notch2水平则无明显变化,联合应用Notch2siRNA和PD98059能明显降低p-ERK和Notch2蛋白的表达水平,与Notch2siRNA或PD98059单独应用比较,显著抑制癌细胞增殖率,差异有统计学意义[(72.55±5.30)%,P0.01]。结论特异性抑制Notch2信号通路,且抑制MEK/ERK通路可进一步增强抑制Notch2通路的抗肿瘤增殖效果,提示MEK/ERK和Notch2 2条信号通路在胃癌SGC-7901细胞中存在交叉作用。     

Notch inhibition in Kaposi's sarcoma tumor cells leads to mitotic catastrophe through nuclear factor-kappaB signaling

Kaposi's sarcoma (KS) is the most common neoplasm in untreated AIDS patients and accounts for significant morbidity and mortality worldwide. We have recently reported that Notch signaling (which plays an important role in cell proliferation, apoptosis, and oncogenesis) is constitutively activated in KS tumor cells. Blockade of this activity using gamma-secretase inhibitors resulted in apoptosis of SLK cells, a KS tumor cell line; however, this apoptosis was preceded by a prolonged G(2)-M cell cycle arrest. This result led us to hypothesize that the cells were undergoing mitotic catastrophe, an abnormal mitosis that leads to eventual cell death. Here, we show that Notch inhibition in KS tumor cells using gamma-secretase inhibitors or Notch-1 small interfering RNA resulted in G(2)-M cell cycle arrest and mitotic catastrophe characterized by the presence of micronucleated cells and an increased mitotic index. Interestingly, Notch inhibition led to a sustained increase in nuclear cyclin B1, a novel observation suggesting that Notch signaling can modulate expression of this critical cell cycle protein. Further analysis showed the induction of cyclin B1 was due, at least in part, to increased nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB) activity, which was also required for the G(2)-M growth arrest after Notch inhibition. Taken together, these studies suggest that Notch inhibition can initiate aberrant mitosis by inducing NF-kappaB activity that inappropriately increases cyclin B1 resulting in cell death via mitotic catastrophe.     

Notch信号分子在人淋巴瘤细胞中的表达及意义

本研究探讨Notch信号分子在人淋巴瘤细胞中的表达及其意义。选择人B淋巴瘤细胞系(Raji、Maver、Z138)和T淋巴瘤细胞系Jurkat细胞,利用RT-PCR技术检测Notch信号分子在这些细胞中的表达情况;利用流式细胞术检测γ-分泌酶抑制剂DAPT阻断Notch信号后对淋巴瘤细胞凋亡以及细胞周期的影响;利用CCK-8法检测DAPT对淋巴瘤细胞增殖的影响。结果表明:Notch分子在不同淋巴瘤细胞中的表达有所不同,Notch1和Notch2在4种细胞中均有表达,Notch3主要表达于Jurkat细胞,而Notch4仅在Raji细胞中弱表达;另外,Notch下游靶基因Hes1仅表达于Raji和Jurkat细胞。DAPT对Jurkat和Raji细胞的增殖抑制以及凋亡诱导作用比较明显,并将细胞周期阻滞在G1期,但是对Maver和Z138细胞的作用较弱。DAPT可以通过抑制Notch下游靶基因Hes1的表达而发挥作用。结论:Notch信号的异常表达与活化对淋巴瘤细胞的增殖起着重要作用,Notch信号有望成为淋巴瘤治疗的一个新靶点。     

High-level IGF1R expression is required for leukemia-initiating cell activity in T-ALL and is supported by Notch signaling

T cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) is an aggressive cancer of immature T cells that often shows aberrant activation of Notch1 and PI3K-Akt pathways. Although mutations that activate PI3K-Akt signaling have previously been identified, the relative contribution of growth factor-dependent activation is unclear. We show here that pharmacologic inhibition or genetic deletion of insulin-like growth factor 1 receptor (IGF1R) blocks the growth and viability of T-ALL cells, whereas moderate diminution of IGF1R signaling compromises leukemia-initiating cell (LIC) activity as defined by transplantability in syngeneic/congenic secondary recipients. Furthermore, IGF1R is a Notch1 target, and Notch1 signaling is required to maintain IGF1R expression at high levels in T-ALL cells. These findings suggest effects of Notch on LIC activity may be mediated in part by enhancing the responsiveness of T-ALL cells to ambient growth factors, and provide strong rationale for use of IGF1R inhibitors to improve initial response to therapy and to achieve long-term cure of patients with T-ALL.     

The autophagy protein Atg7 is essential for hematopoietic stem cell maintenance

The role of autophagy, a lysosomal degradation pathway which prevents cellular damage, in the maintenance of adult mouse hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) remains unknown. Although normal HSCs sustain life-long hematopoiesis, malignant transformation of HSCs leads to leukemia. Therefore, mechanisms protecting HSCs from cellular damage are essential to prevent hematopoietic malignancies. In this study, we crippled autophagy in HSCs by conditionally deleting the essential autophagy gene Atg7 in the hematopoietic system. This resulted in the loss of normal HSC functions, a severe myeloproliferation, and death of the mice within weeks. The hematopoietic stem and progenitor cell compartment displayed an accumulation of mitochondria and reactive oxygen species, as well as increased proliferation and DNA damage. HSCs within the Lin(-)Sca-1(+)c-Kit(+) (LSK) compartment were significantly reduced. Although the overall LSK compartment was expanded, Atg7-deficient LSK cells failed to reconstitute the hematopoietic system of lethally irradiated mice. Consistent with loss of HSC functions, the production of both lymphoid and myeloid progenitors was impaired in the absence of Atg7. Collectively, these data show that Atg7 is an essential regulator of adult HSC maintenance.     

肠三叶因子激活ERK1/2信号通路促进胃黏膜上皮细胞增殖和迁移

目的：研究ITF对胃黏膜上皮细胞增殖和迁移的影响,及ERK1/2信号通路在其中的作用。方法：以GES-1细胞为研究对象,用Western blot检测ITF对ERK1/2信号通路的作用,以不同浓度ITF及ERK1/2信号通路抑制剂U0126处理GES-1细胞,用CCK-8检测细胞增殖,用细胞穿孔实验观察细胞迁移。比较不同浓度ITF对GES-1细胞增殖和迁移的影响,及ERK1/2信号通路在其中的作用。结果：ITF提高了pERK1/2蛋白的表达水平,U0126抑制了ITF激活的pERK1/2蛋白的表达。与对照组比较,在细胞培养的24h后,ITF以剂量依赖的方式促进了GES-1细胞的增殖和迁移。U0126抑制了ITF对GES-1细胞的促增殖和迁移作用。结论：肠三叶因子通过激活ERK1/2信号通路促进胃黏膜上皮细胞增殖和迁移。     

Notch和Wnt通路对脑缺血后神经干细胞作用的研究进展

神经干细胞(NSCs)在脑缺血后神经功能障碍的修复过程中起着关键作用。Notch通路广泛存在于动物细胞中,是调控NSCs增殖、分化的经典信号通路。Wnt通路参与细胞的增殖、分化和凋亡等过程,在损伤后脑组织NSCs增殖过程中发挥重要作用。近年来研究发现,两条通路形成一个信号网络,共同调控NSCs增殖和分化。     

The evolutionarily conserved TSC/Rheb pathway activates Notch in tuberous sclerosis complex and Drosophila external sensory organ development

Mutations in either of the genes encoding the tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC), TSC1 and TSC2, result in a multisystem tumor disorder characterized by lesions with unusual lineage expression patterns. How these unusual cell-fate determination patterns are generated is unclear. We therefore investigated the role of the TSC in the Drosophila external sensory organ (ESO), a classic model of asymmetric cell division. In normal development, the sensory organ precursor cell divides asymmetrically through differential regulation of Notch signaling to produce a pIIa and a pIIb cell. We report here that inactivation of Tsc1 and overexpression of the Ras homolog Rheb each resulted in duplication of the bristle and socket cells, progeny of the pIIa cell, and loss of the neuronal cell, a product of pIIb cell division. Live imaging of ESO development revealed this cell-fate switch occurred at the pIIa-pIIb 2-cell stage. In human angiomyolipomas, benign renal neoplasms often found in tuberous sclerosis patients, we found evidence of Notch receptor cleavage and Notch target gene activation. Further, an angiomyolipoma-derived cell line carrying biallelic TSC2 mutations exhibited TSC2- and Rheb-dependent Notch activation. Finally, inhibition of Notch signaling using a γ-secretase inhibitor suppressed proliferation of Tsc2-null rat cells in a xenograft model. Together, these data indicate that the TSC and Rheb regulate Notch-dependent cell-fate decision in Drosophila and Notch activity in mammalian cells and that Notch dysregulation may underlie some of the distinctive clinical and pathologic features of TSC.     

A subpopulation of mouse esophageal basal cells has properties of stem cells with the capacity for self-renewal and lineage specification

The esophageal epithelium is a prototypical stratified squamous epithelium that exhibits an exquisite equilibrium between proliferation and differentiation. After basal cells proliferate, they migrate outward toward the luminal surface, undergo differentiation, and eventually slough due to apoptosis. The identification and characterization of stem cells responsible for the maintenance of the esophageal epithelium remains elusive. Here, we employed Hoechst dye extrusion and BrdU label–retaining assays to identify in mice a potential esophageal stem cell population that localizes to the basal cell compartment. The self-renewing capacity of this population was characterized using a clonogenic assay and a 3D organotypic culture model. The putative esophageal stem cells were also capable of epithelial reconstitution in vivo in direct esophageal epithelial injury models. In both the 3D organotypic culture and direct mucosal injury models, the putative stem cells gave rise to undifferentiated and differentiated cells. These studies therefore provide a basis for understanding the regenerative capacity and biology of the esophageal epithelium when it is faced with injurious insults.