Premature senescence involving p53 and p16 is activated in response to constitutive MEK/MAPK mitogenic signaling

Oncogenic Ras transforms immortal rodent cells to a tumorigenic state, in part, by constitutively transmitting mitogenic signals through the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) cascade. In primary cells, Ras is initially mitogenic but eventually induces premature senescence involving the p53 and p16^INK4a tumor suppressors. Constitutive activation of MEK (a component of the MAPK cascade) induces both p53 and p16, and is required for Ras-induced senescence of normal human fibroblasts. Furthermore, activated MEK permanently arrests primary murine fibroblasts but forces uncontrolled mitogenesis and transformation in cells lacking either p53 or INK4a. The precisely opposite response of normal and immortalized cells to constitutive activation of the MAPK cascade implies that premature senescence acts as a fail-safe mechanism to limit the transforming potential of excessive Ras mitogenic signaling. Consequently, constitutive MAPK signaling activates p53 and p16 as tumor suppressors.     

The role of the Rho GTPases in neuronal development

Our brain serves as a center for cognitive function and neurons within the brain relay and store information about our surroundings and experiences. Modulation of this complex neuronal circuitry allows us to process that information and respond appropriately. Proper development of neurons is therefore vital to the mental health of an individual, and perturbations in their signaling or morphology are likely to result in cognitive impairment. The development of a neuron requires a series of steps that begins with migration from its birth place and initiation of process outgrowth, and ultimately leads to differentiation and the formation of connections that allow it to communicate with appropriate targets. Over the past several years, it has become clear that the Rho family of GTPases and related molecules play an important role in various aspects of neuronal development, including neurite outgrowth and differentiation, axon pathfinding, and dendritic spine formation and maintenance. Given the importance of these molecules in these processes, it is therefore not surprising that mutations in genes encoding a number of regulators and effectors of the Rho GTPases have been associated with human neurological diseases. This review will focus on the role of the Rho GTPases and their associated signaling molecules throughout neuronal development and discuss how perturbations in Rho GTPase signaling may lead to cognitive disorders.     

A pulmonary infection caused by Coprinus cinereus (Hormographiella aspergillata) diagnosed after a neutropenic episode.

In a patient treated for a non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, a lung abscess caused by Hormographiella aspergillata (stat. anamorph. Coprinus cinereus) was diagnosed using an ultrasound-guided puncture of the lesion. The patient appeared to respond to amphotericin B, but at the same time was also recovering from her neutropenic episode. The extent to which each of these two factors explains the complete resolution of the infection is unclear. Expert classical morphological examination and molecular typing methods were needed to identify this filamentous basidiomycetous fungus.     

Recent advances in diagnosis and management of pulmonary hypertension in chronic lung disease

Pulmonary hypertension with elevated pulmonary vascular resistance is a common cardiovascular complication associated with increased morbidity and mortality in preterm infants with chronic lung disease. Injury to the developing pulmonary circulation results in structural and functional abnormalities of the pulmonary vasculature. Animal studies have demonstrated that disruption of angiogenesis may contribute to the failure of normal alveolarisation in chronic lung disease. Levels of vascular endothelial growth factor in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid are lower in infants with chronic lung disease compared to preterm controls. Supplemental oxygen is commonly used to prevent and treat pulmonary hypertension, although optimal arterial oxygen saturation levels remain uncertain. Other vasodilators such as inhaled nitric oxide appear promising, but as yet have not been evaluated in the form of randomised controlled trials. Further studies are required to investigate the long-term effectiveness of pulmonary vasodilator therapy.     

Oncogenic KRAS engages an RSK1/NF1 pathway to inhibit wild-type RAS signaling in pancreatic cancer

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is a lethal malignancy with limited treatment options. Although activating mutations of the KRAS GTPase are the predominant dependency present in >90% of PDAC patients, targeting KRAS mutants directly has been challenging in PDAC. Similarly, strategies targeting known KRAS downstream effectors have had limited clinical success due to feedback mechanisms, alternate pathways, and dose-limiting toxicities in normal tissues. Therefore, identifying additional functionally relevant KRAS interactions in PDAC may allow for a better understanding of feedback mechanisms and unveil potential therapeutic targets. Here, we used proximity labeling to identify protein interactors of active KRAS in PDAC cells. We expressed fusions of wild-type (WT) (BirA-KRAS4B), mutant (BirA-KRAS4B^G12D), and nontransforming cytosolic double mutant (BirA-KRAS4B^G12D/C185S) KRAS with the BirA biotin ligase in murine PDAC cells. Mass spectrometry analysis revealed that RSK1 selectively interacts with membrane-bound KRAS^G12D, and we demonstrate that this interaction requires NF1 and SPRED2. We find that membrane RSK1 mediates negative feedback on WT RAS signaling and impedes the proliferation of pancreatic cancer cells upon the ablation of mutant KRAS. Our findings link NF1 to the membrane-localized functions of RSK1 and highlight a role for WT RAS signaling in promoting adaptive resistance to mutant KRAS-specific inhibitors in PDAC.

A total of 60,430 new cases of pancreatic cancer were estimated for 2021, and the 5-y relative survival rate has consistently remained below 11% (1). About 85% of these pancreatic cancer tumors are pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) (2). Poor outcomes of PDAC cases result from late diagnoses leading to unresectable and heterogeneous tumors as well as ineffective therapies, which only prolong survival on the order of months (3–5). Mutations in the KRAS proto-oncogene are present in over 90% of PDAC cases and are associated with a poor prognosis (6). Furthermore, mice expressing mutant KRAS in the pancreas develop precursor lesions, which sporadically progress into frank PDAC. This progression is accelerated when combined with other mutations or deletion of tumor suppressor genes (7–11). Additionally, independent studies have shown that the maintenance of murine PDAC cells require KRAS (12–14).As a RAS GTPase, KRAS acts as a molecular switch at the plasma membrane that relays growth factor signaling from receptor tyrosine kinases to downstream pathways such as RAF/MEK and PI3K/AKT (15). GTP binding alters the conformation of the KRAS G domain, thereby creating binding sites for downstream effectors to trigger enzymatic cascades that promote cell transformation (16–19). Intrinsically, KRAS slowly hydrolyzes GTP into GDP to halt signaling; however, GTPase activating proteins (GAPs) such as neurofibromin 1(NF1) catalyze this process (20). In contrast, guanine nucleotide exchange factors, such as son of sevenless homolog 1 (SOS1), catalyze the exchange of GTP for bound GDP. In most PDAC cases, KRAS is mutated at the 12th residue located in the G domain from glycine to either a valine (G12V), or more commonly, aspartate (G12D). These mutations sterically prevent the “arginine finger domain” of GAPs from entering the GTPase site, thereby blocking extrinsic allosteric GTPase activation and stabilizing RAS-GTP (21, 22). Activating mutations in KRAS constitutively trigger RAF/MEK and PI3K/AKT pathways leading to increased cell proliferation as well as other prooncogenic behaviors (15). KRAS signaling not only relies on the G domain but also the C-terminal hypervariable domain (HVR), which is required to stabilize KRAS on membranes where signaling is most efficient (23–26). Independent studies suggest that specific biochemical and cellular consequences of KRAS activation are attributed to the unique properties of the HVR of the predominant splice form KRAS4B, namely the polybasic domain and the lipid anchor (27–30). Localization of RAS proteins to the plasma membrane requires the prenylation of the CAAX motif (23). Additionally, for KRAS4B, the hypervariable region contains a highly polybasic domain consisting of several consecutive lysines, which can interact with the negative charges on the polar heads of phospholipids and stabilize protein interactions (31). Structural and biochemical characterization of the HVR and G domain has contributed to a better understanding of the signaling outputs of KRAS and led to KRAS-targeting strategies.Various approaches to inhibit KRAS include direct inhibition, expression interference, mislocalization, and targeting of downstream effectors (32). Thus far, direct inhibitors against KRAS have only successfully targeted the G12C mutant, which comprises 2.9% of KRAS mutant PDAC (21, 33). For other KRAS mutants, targeting downstream effectors of KRAS in pancreatic cancer remains an alternative approach. Unfortunately, dual inhibition of MEK and AKT pathways was ineffective in PDAC patients (34). Difficulty in targeting KRAS due to adaptive resistance and feedback regulation motivates a better understanding of KRAS biology (35). For example, although PDAC typically features a mutant KRAS, there may be a role for its wild-type (WT) counterpart as well as WT RAS paralogs (HRAS and NRAS), which are GAP sensitive and subject to signaling feedback. While oncogenic KRAS has been shown to activate WT HRAS and NRAS via allosteric stimulation of SOS1 (36), WT KRAS has been proposed to be a tumor suppressor in some KRAS mutant cancers based on the commonly observed mutant-specific allele imbalance that occurs throughout tumor progression (37). Additionally, the reintroduction of WT KRAS abolished tumor T cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia development and impaired tumor growth in KRAS mutant lung cancer cells in vivo (37–39). The discovery of novel KRAS protein interactors involved in downstream signaling or feedback and compensatory pathways may elucidate why inhibition of downstream pathways have had limited clinical impact in PDAC. Here, we perform proximity labeling experiments by expressing a fusion of BirA^R118G biotin ligase and KRAS in PDAC cells, which, in the presence of high concentrations of biotin, generates reactive biotinoyl-AMP that labels lysines of nearby proteins, such as interactors of its fusion partner KRAS (40–42). The biotinylated interactor proteins can be isolated by streptavidin pulldown and analyzed by proteomics to identify novel protein interactors (43–45). Because covalent labeling occurs in living cells, enzymatic labeling may potentially identify transient interactors and protein complexes.Two recent studies used proximity-dependent biotin identification (BioID) labeling methods to identify KRAS interactors in 293T and colon cancer cells (46, 47). These studies uncovered and validated the functional relevance of PIP5KA1 and mTORC2 in PDAC cells. However, BirA-KRAS screens in PDAC models have not yet been performed. Since the tumor context may determine protein expression and relevant interactions, we sought to perform a BirA-KRAS screen in PDAC cells. We hypothesize that proximity labeling with BioID presents a means for identifying new mutant KRAS-specific interactions in PDAC, which may unveil new insights into therapeutic design for this malignancy.     

Relationship of Quality of Life with Disability Grade in Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and Dysthymic Disorder

Background:

There is paucity of information on the relationship of quality of life (QOL) in obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) and dysthymic disorder (DD) with disability grade in India.

Aim:

To assess the relation of QOL with disability level in OCD and DD.

Materials and Methods:

This hospital based study was conducted in a medical institution in Davanagere, Karnataka, India. Data was collected by using Diagnostic and Statistical Manual IV Text Revision (DSM IV TR) criteria, WHO QOL BREF and IDEAS. Relationship between disability grade and QOL was assessed by independent sample t test.

Results:

Mild disabled OCD patients had a significantly better QOL in the Q1 domain i.e. perception on quality of life as compared to moderately disabled patients (P < 0.05), while in other domains of QOL, there was no statistically significant difference (P > 0.05). But, QOL score in physical domain showed significant difference across disability grades (56.00, SD = 6.89; 48.50, SD = 12.28) in DD, but not in other domains.

Conclusion:

Perception of QOL is better in those with mild disability in OCD, but in DD, physical domain of QOL score is more in mild disability compared to moderate disability.     

Analysis of N-ras gene mutation and p53 gene expression in human hepatocellular carcinomas

AIM:To study the relationship between N-ras gene mutation and p53 gene expression in the carcinogenesis and the development of human hepatocellular carcinomas (HCC).METHODS:The N-ras gene mutation and the p53 gene expression were analyzed in 29 cases of HCC by polymerase chain reaction-single strand conformation polymorphism (PCR-SSCP) and immunohistochemistry.RESULTS:Thirteen cases of HCCs were p53 positive (44.8%), which showed a rather high Cpercen-tage of p53 gene mutation in Guangxi. The aberrations at N-ras codon 2-37 were found in 79.31% of HCCs and 80.77% of adjacent non-tumorous liver tissues. More than 2 point mutations of N-ras gene were observed in 22 cases (75.86%). Twelve cases (41.37%) of HCCs showed both N-ras gene mutation and p53 gene expression.CONCLUSION:N-ras gene and p53 gene may be involved in the carcinogenesis and the development of HCC.That 38% of HCCs with N-ras gene mutation did not express p53 protein indicates that some other genes or factors may participate in the carcinogenesis and the development of HCC.     

The junctional multidomain protein AF-6 is a binding partner of the Rap1A GTPase and associates with the actin cytoskeletal regulator profilin

The AF-6 protein is a multidomain protein that contains two potential Ras-binding domains within its N terminus. Because of this feature, AF-6 has been isolated in both two-hybrid and biochemical approaches and is postulated to be a potential Ras-effector protein. Herein, we show that it is specifically the first Ras-binding domain of AF-6 that mediates this interaction and that the Ras-related Rap1A protein can associate with this motif even more efficiently than the oncogenic Ha-, K-, and N-Ras GTPases. We further demonstrate that both Ras and Rap1 interact with full-length AF-6 in vivo in mammalian cells and that a fraction of Rap1 colocalizes with AF-6 at the membrane. Dominant active Rap1A, in contrast to Ras, when introduced into epithelial MDCK and MCF-7 cells, does not perturb AF-6-specific residency in cell-cell adhesion complexes. In a pursuit to gain further understanding of the role of AF-6 in junctions, we identified profilin as an AF-6-binding protein. Profilin activates monomeric actin units for subsequent polymerization steps at barbed ends of actin filaments and has been shown to participate in cortical actin assembly. To our knowledge, AF-6 is the only integral component in cell-cell junctions discovered thus far that interacts with profilin and thus could modulate actin modeling proximal to adhesion complexes.     

Pharmacokinetics of enfuvirtide in pediatric human immunodeficiency virus 1-infected patients receiving combination therapy

BACKGROUND: Enfuvirtide is the first of a new class of antiretroviral agents, the fusion inhibitors. OBJECTIVES: The primary objective of this analysis was to evaluate the pharmacokinetics of 2.0 mg/kg enfuvirtide in human immunodeficiency virus 1 (HIV-1)-infected children and adolescents when administered in combination with at least 3 other antiretrovirals. METHODS: Twenty-five HIV-1-infected pediatric patients (5-16 years of age) enrolled in an ongoing phase I/II study were included in this analysis. Patients received enfuvirtide 2.0 mg/kg sc twice daily (bid) for at least 7 days. Blood samples were collected on day 7, and plasma concentrations of enfuvirtide and its metabolite were measured by a validated liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry method. Pharmacokinetics measures [Cmax, tmax, Ctrough, and area under the concentration time curve time 0 to 12 hours (AUC12 hours)] were calculated from plasma concentration-time data by standard noncompartmental methods. RESULTS: There was no significant difference between children and adolescents for enfuvirtide Cmax (6.43 versus 5.88 microg/mL), Ctrough (2.87 versus 2.98 microg/mL) and AUC12 hours (56.1 versus 52.7 hours . microg/mL). Similarly no significant differences were found when the pharmacokinetic measures were compared based on sexual maturity stages. A post hoc regression analysis based on AUC12 hours showed that body weight-adjusted dosing of enfuvirtide provides drug exposure that is independent of age group, body weight and body surface area. CONCLUSIONS: Body weight-adjusted dosing of enfuvirtide, at a dose of 2.0 mg/kg sc bid, in HIV-1-infected pediatric patients at least 5 years of age, provides drug exposure comparable with that previously observed in HIV-1-infected adults after 90 mg sc bid dosing. Drug exposure in children and adolescents is independent of age group, body weight, body surface area and sexual maturity stage.