RAB37 GTPase regulates cargo exocytosis by cycling between an inactive GDP-bound form and an active GTP-bound form. We reveal that RAB37 simultaneously regulates autophagy activation and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase 1 (TIMP1) secretion in lung cancer cells under starvation conditions. TIMP1, an inflammatory cytokine, is a known inhibitory molecule of matrix metalloproteinases matrix metalloproteinase 9 and suppresses the mobility of lung cancer cells both in vitro and in vivo through conventional exocytosis under serum-free conditions. Notably, we disclosed that secretory autophagy participates in TIMP1 secretion in a RAB37- and Sec22b-dependent manner. Sec22b, a SNARE family protein, participates in vesicle and membrane fusion of secretory autophagy. Knockdown of Sec22b decreased TIMP1 secretion and cell motility but did not affect cell proliferation under starvation conditions. We confirmed that starvation-activated RAB37 accompanied by Sec22b is essential for secretory autophagy to further enhance TIMP1 exocytosis. We further use an off-label drug amiodarone to demonstrate that autophagy induction facilitates TIMP1 secretion and suppresses the motility and metastasis of lung cancer cells in a RAB37-dependent manner in the lung-to-lung mouse model. In conclusion, we demonstrated that the RAB37 activation plays a pivotal regulatory role in secretory autophagy for TIMP1 secretion in lung cancer.Abbreviations: ATG: autophagy-related gene; GDP: guanosine diphosphate; GTP: guanosine triphosphate; LC3: microtubule-associated protein 1A/1B-light chain 3; SNARE: soluble N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive-factor attachment protein receptor; TIMP1: tissue inhibitor matrix metalloproteinase 1.
In the prodromal phase of neurodegenerative diseases, microglia switch to an activated state resulting in increased secretion of pro-inflammatory factors. We reported that C - C chemokine ligand 3 (CCL3), C - C chemokine ligand 4 (CCL4) and C - C chemokine ligand 5 (CCL5) contained in the secretome of activated microglia inhibit neuronal autophagy via a non-cell autonomous mechanism. These chemokines bind and activate neuronal C - C chemokine receptor type 5 (CCR5), which, in turn, promotes phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) - protein kinase B (PKB, or AKT) - mammalian target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1) pathway activation, which inhibits autophagy, thus causing the accumulation of aggregate-prone proteins in the cytoplasm of neurons. The levels of CCR5 and its chemokine ligands are increased in the brains of pre-manifesting Huntington disease (HD) and tauopathy mouse models. CCR5 accumulation might be due to a self-amplifying mechanism, since CCR5 is a substrate of autophagy and CCL5-CCR5-mediated autophagy inhibition impairs CCR5 degradation. Furthermore, pharmacological, or genetic inhibition of CCR5 rescues mTORC1-autophagy dysfunction and improves neurodegeneration in HD and tauopathy mouse models, suggesting that CCR5 hyperactivation is a pathogenic signal driving the progression of these diseases.
Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) has one of the lowest 5-year survival rates of any cancer in the United States. Our previous work has shown that autophagy can promote PDAC progression. We recently established the importance of autophagy in regulating bioavailable iron to control mitochondrial metabolism in PDAC. We found that inhibition of autophagy in PDAC leads to mitochondrial dysfunction due to abrogation of succinate dehydrogenase complex iron sulfur subunit B (SDHB) expression. Additionally, we observed that cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) can provide iron to autophagy-inhibited PDAC tumor cells, thereby increasing their resistance to autophagy inhibition. To impede such metabolic compensation, we used a low iron diet together with autophagy inhibition and demonstrated a significant improvement of tumor response in syngeneic PDAC models.Abbreviations: PDAC: Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma; CAFs: cancer-associated fibroblasts; SDHB: succinate dehydrogenase complex iron sulfur subunit B; ISCA1: iron sulfur cluster assembly protein 1; FPN: ferroportin; LIP: labile iron pool; FAC: ferric ammonium chloride; OCR: oxygen consumption rate; OXPHOS: oxidative phosphorylation, IL6: interleukin 6; Fe-S: iron sulfur; ATP: adenosine triphosphate.
Parkinson disease (PD) is caused by the loss of ventral midbrain dopaminergic neurons (mDANs) in the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNpc). These cells are especially vulnerable to stress but can be protected by autophagy enhancement strategies in vitro and in vivo. In our recent study, we focused on the LIM (Lin11, Isl-1, and Mec-3)-domain homeobox transcription factors LMX1A (LIM homeobox transcription factor 1 alpha) and LMX1B (LIM homeobox transcription factor 1 beta), crucial drivers of mDAN differentiation with roles in autophagy gene expression for stress protection in the developed brain. Using human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC)-derived mDANs and transformed human cell lines, we found that these autophagy gene transcription factors are themselves regulated by autophagy-mediated turnover. LMX1B possesses a non-canonical LC3-interacting region (LIR) in its C-terminus through which it interacts with ATG8 family members. The LMX1B LIR-like domain enables binding to ATG8 proteins in the nucleus, where ATG8 proteins act as co-factors for robust transcription of LMX1B target genes. Thus, we propose a novel role for ATG8 proteins as autophagy gene transcriptional co-factors for mDAN stress protection in PD.
Abbreviations: ATG: autophagy-related proteins; ULK1/2: Unc-51-Like activating Kinases; PI3Ks: Phosphoinositide 3-Kinases; ATG2A: autophagy-related protein 2A; ATG5: autophagy-related protein 5; ATG16: autophagy-related protein 16; ATG8: autophagy-related protein 8; U2OS: human bone osteosarcoma epithelial cell; LC3B: microtubule-associated protein 1A/1B Light Chain 3B; GABARAPL1: GABA type A Receptor-Associated Protein Like 1; ATG9A: autophagy-related protein 9A; ATG13: autophagy-related protein 13; SQSTM1: Sequestosome-1/p62; WIPI2: WD repeat domain, Phosphoinositide Interacting 2; PI3P: Phosphoinositide-3-phosphate.
Abbreviations: ATG: autophagy related; BECN1: beclin 1; cAMP: cyclic adenosine monophosphate; dsDNA: double-stranded DNA; EMT: epithelial-mesenchymal transition; IFN: interferon; ISCs: intestinal stem cells; MAP1LC3/LC3: microtubule associated protein 1 light chain 3; MAPK/JNK: mitogen-activated protein kinase/c-Jun N-terminal kinases; MTOR: mechanistic target of rapamycin kinase; STING1: stimulator of interferon response cGAMP interactor 1; UVRAG: UV radiation resistance associated; VPS: vacuolar protein sorting.