Rb Family Members Research Articles

Transcriptome Analysis Identifies Regulators of Hematopoietic Stem and Progenitor Cells

SummaryHematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) maintain blood homeostasis and are the functional units of bone marrow transplantation. To improve the molecular understanding of HSCs and their proximal progenitors, we performed transcriptome analysis within the context of the ImmGen Consortium data set. Gene sets that define steady-state and mobilized HSCs, as well as hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs), were determined. Genes involved in transcriptional regulation, including a group of putative transcriptional repressors, were identified in multipotent progenitors and HSCs. Proximal promoter analyses combined with ImmGen module analysis identified candidate regulators of HSCs. Enforced expression of one predicted regulator, Hlf, in diverse HSPC subsets led to extensive self-renewal activity ex vivo. These analyses reveal unique insights into the mechanisms that control the core properties of HSPCs.

The B55α Regulatory Subunit of Protein Phosphatase 2A Mediates Fibroblast Growth Factor-Induced p107 Dephosphorylation and Growth Arrest in Chondrocytes

Fibroblast growth factor (FGF)-induced growth arrest of chondrocytes is a unique cell type-specific response which contrasts with the proliferative response of most cell types and underlies several genetic skeletal disorders caused by activating FGF receptor (FGFR) mutations. We have shown that one of the earliest key events in FGF-induced growth arrest is dephosphorylation of the retinoblastoma protein (Rb) family member p107 by protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A), a ubiquitously expressed multisubunit phosphatase. In this report, we show that the PP2A-B55α holoenzyme (PP2A containing the B55α subunit) is responsible for this phenomenon. Only the B55α (55-kDa regulatory subunit, alpha isoform) regulatory subunit of PP2A was able to bind p107, and this interaction was induced by FGF in chondrocytes but not in other cell types. Small interfering RNA (siRNA)-mediated knockdown of B55α prevented p107 dephosphorylation and FGF-induced growth arrest of RCS (rat chondrosarcoma) chondrocytes. Importantly, the B55α subunit bound with higher affinity to dephosphorylated p107. Since the p107 region interacting with B55α is also the site of cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) binding, B55α association may also prevent p107 phosphorylation by CDKs. FGF treatment induces dephosphorylation of the B55α subunit itself on several serine residues that drastically increases the affinity of B55α for the PP2A A/C dimer and p107. Together these observations suggest a novel mechanism of p107 dephosphorylation mediated by activation of PP2A through B55α dephosphorylation. This mechanism might be a general signal transduction pathway used by PP2A to initiate cell cycle arrest when required by external signals.

Cortical excitatory neurons become protected from cell division during neurogenesis in an Rb family-dependent manner

SUMMARY Cell cycle dysregulation leads to abnormal proliferation and cell death in a context-specific manner. Cell cycle progression driven via the Rb pathway forces neurons to undergo S-phase, resulting in cell death associated with the progression of neuronal degeneration. Nevertheless, some Rb- and Rb family (Rb, p107 and p130)-deficient differentiating neurons can proliferate and form tumors. Here, we found in mouse that differentiating cerebral cortical excitatory neurons underwent S-phase progression but not cell division after acute Rb family inactivation in differentiating neurons. However, the differentiating neurons underwent cell division and proliferated when Rb family members were inactivated in cortical progenitors. Differentiating neurons generated from Rb –/– ; p107 –/– ; p130 –/– (RbTKO) progenitors, but not acutely inactivated Rb-TKO differentiating neurons, activated the DNA double-strand break (DSB) repair pathway without increasing trimethylation at lysine 20 of histone H4 (H4K20), which has a role in protection against DNA damage. The activation of the DSB repair pathway was essential for the cell division of Rb-TKO differentiating neurons. These results suggest that newly born cortical neurons from progenitors become epigenetically protected from DNA damage and cell division in an Rb family-dependent manner.

Cortical excitatory neurons become protected from cell division during neurogenesis in an Rb family-dependent manner

Cell cycle dysregulation leads to abnormal proliferation and cell death in a context-specific manner. Cell cycle progression driven via the Rb pathway forces neurons to undergo S-phase, resulting in cell death associated with the progression of neuronal degeneration. Nevertheless, some Rb- and Rb family (Rb, p107 and p130)-deficient differentiating neurons can proliferate and form tumors. Here, we found in mouse that differentiating cerebral cortical excitatory neurons underwent S-phase progression but not cell division after acute Rb family inactivation in differentiating neurons. However, the differentiating neurons underwent cell division and proliferated when Rb family members were inactivated in cortical progenitors. Differentiating neurons generated from Rb(-/-); p107(-/-); p130(-/-) (Rb-TKO) progenitors, but not acutely inactivated Rb-TKO differentiating neurons, activated the DNA double-strand break (DSB) repair pathway without increasing trimethylation at lysine 20 of histone H4 (H4K20), which has a role in protection against DNA damage. The activation of the DSB repair pathway was essential for the cell division of Rb-TKO differentiating neurons. These results suggest that newly born cortical neurons from progenitors become epigenetically protected from DNA damage and cell division in an Rb family-dependent manner.

Abstract 5014: Reprogramming of mature astrocytes by abrogation of Rb tumor suppression leads to astrocytoma initiation in GEMMs.

Abstract Astrocytomas are the most common malignant brain tumors which maintain a poor survival rate despite decades of research effort. Understanding the initiation process and identifying astrocytoma cell(s) of origin have been of immense interest. Genetically engineered mouse models (GEMMs) are ideal for studying the initiation process compared to evolved human tumor cells. Our lab has developed an adult inducible GEMM that alters key human glioblastoma (Grade IV) pathways. Inactivation of Rb tumor suppression (TS) by expressing N-terminal 121aa of large T antigen (T121) under GFAP promoter is sufficient to initiate grade II astrocytoma. Addition of mutant KrasG12D leads to grade III and further PTEN deletion to glioblastomas. KrasG12D activation and PTEN deletion alone or in combination failed to initiate astrocytomas, suggesting that Rb TS inactivation is essential for its initiation. Studies from several cancers have identified tumor-initiating cells, a subset of tumor cells with stem cell-like properties responsible for generating the entire tumor mass. Their origin remains a mystery. We hypothesize that Rb TS inactivation reprograms astrocytes into stem/progenitor-like state generating potential cell(s) of origin for astrocytoma. Immunostaining of progenitor and proliferation markers (e.g. nestin and Ki-67) showed their co-expression in the cortex with T121, suggesting a possible reprogramming of mature astrocytes. Moreover, astrocyte differentiation marker S100beta was downregulated in T121 cells. To rule out the possibility of migration resulting in the observed cortical progenitor cells, focal induction of T121 in cortex using lenti-cre injection was performed. We found expression of Ki-67 and nestin and reduced expression of S100beta, suggesting that the reprogramming was independent of the germinal zones in the brain. Furthermore, cortical T121 expressing astrocytes were able to generate neurospheres but astrocytes from wildtype cortex failed to do so. These cells also showed self-renewability and multilineage ability, emphasizing their dedifferentiated status upon Rb-TS inactivation. We were able to achieve in-vitro reprogramming of mature astrocytes upon T121 expression suggesting that the reprogramming does not require brain microenvironment. Sphere assays using cortical cells from mice where individual Rb family member was inactivated suggests that loss of individual Rb family members alone is insufficient in reprogramming the mature astrocytes. With the Rb pathway known to be altered in more than 75% of glioblastomas, our results are a step in the direction of unraveling the process of tumor initiation for this deadly disease. Citation Format: Amit S. Adhikari, Teresa Sullivan, Yurong Song, Xiuyun Lu, Norene O'Sullivan, Terry Van Dyke. Reprogramming of mature astrocytes by abrogation of Rb tumor suppression leads to astrocytoma initiation in GEMMs. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 104th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2013 Apr 6-10; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2013;73(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 5014. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2013-5014

Control of glutamine metabolism by the tumor suppressor Rb

Retinoblastoma (Rb) protein is a tumor suppressor that is dysregulated in a majority of human cancers. Rb functions to inhibit cell cycle progression in part by directly disabling the E2F family of cell cycle-promoting transcription factors. Because the de novo synthesis of multiple glutamine-derived anabolic precursors is required for cell cycle progression, we hypothesized that Rb also may directly regulate proteins involved in glutamine metabolism. We examined glutamine metabolism in mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs) isolated from mice that have triple knock-outs (TKO) of all three Rb family members (Rb-1, Rbl1, and Rbl2) and found that loss of global Rb function caused a marked increase in 13C-glutamine uptake and incorporation into glutamate and TCA cycle intermediates in part via upregulated expression of the glutamine transporter ASCT2 and the activity of glutaminase 1 (GLS1). The Rb-controlled transcription factor E2F-3 altered glutamine uptake by direct regulation of ASCT2 mRNA and protein expression, and E2F-3 was observed to associate with the ASCT2 promoter. We next examined the functional consequences of the observed increase in glutamine uptake and utilization and found that glutamine exposure potently increased oxygen consumption whereas glutamine deprivation selectively decreased ATP concentration in the Rb TKO MEFs but not the WT MEFs. In addition, TKO MEFs exhibited elevated production of glutathione from exogenous glutamine, and had increased expression of gamma-glutamylcysteine ligase relative to WT MEFs. Importantly, this metabolic shift towards glutamine utilization was required for the proliferation of Rb TKO MEFs but not for the proliferation of the WT MEFs. Last, addition of the TCA cycle intermediate α-ketoglutarate to the Rb TKO MEFs reversed the inhibitory effects of glutamine deprivation on ATP, GSH levels, and viability. Taken together, these studies demonstrate that the Rb/E2F cascade directly regulates a major energetic and anabolic pathway that is required for neoplastic growth.

Defining a new vision for the retinoblastoma gene: report from the 3rd International Rb Meeting

The retinoblastoma tumor suppressor (Rb) pathway is mutated in most, if not all human tumors. In the G0/G1 phase, Rb and its family members p107 and p130 inhibit the E2F family of transcription factors. In response to mitogenic signals, Cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs) phosphorylate Rb family members, which results in the disruption of complexes between Rb and E2F family members and in the transcription of genes essential for S phase progression. Beyond this role in early cell cycle decisions, Rb family members regulate DNA replication and mitosis, chromatin structure, metabolism, cellular differentiation, and cell death. While the RB pathway has been extensively studied in the past three decades, new investigations continue to provide novel insights into basic mechanisms of cancer development and, beyond cancer, help better understand fundamental cellular processes, from plants to mammals. This meeting report summarizes research presented at the recently held 3rd International Rb Meeting.

Skin Tumors Rb(eing) Uncovered

The Rb1 gene was the first bona fide tumor suppressor identified and cloned more than 25 years ago. Since then, a plethora of studies have revealed the functions of pRb and the existence of a sophisticated and strictly regulated pathway that modulates such functional roles. An emerging paradox affecting Rb1 in cancer connects the relatively low number of mutations affecting Rb1 gene in specific human tumors, compared with the widely functional inactivation of pRb in most, if not in all, human cancers. The existence of a retinoblastoma family of proteins pRb, p107, and p130 and their potential unique and overlapping functions as master regulators of cell cycle progression and transcriptional modulation by similar processes, may provide potential clues to explain such conundrum. Here, we will review the development of different genetically engineered mouse models, in particular those affecting stratified epithelia, and how they have offered new avenues to understand the roles of the Rb family members and their targets in the context of tumor development and progression.

Rb Protects B-Lineage Hematopoietic Progenitor Cells From Oxidative Stress and Exhaustion

Abstract 1315 Background:Multiple myeloma (MM) is the second most common hematologic malignancy in the United States. Chromosome 13 deletions are found in approximately one half (50%) of all patient samples and is associated with worse outcomes. The retinoblastoma gene (Rb1) has been implicated as a candidate tumor suppressor at 13q14, however, unmutated Rb1 remains expressed from retained alleles in the majority of cases. We sought to explore the role of Rb1 in plasma cells by generating mice with deficiency of Rb1 targeted to late B-cell development. Methods:The Rb family member p107 can compensate for Rb1 function, so we crossed Rb1Flox/Flox and P107−/−mouse strains with Cγ1-Cre knock-in mice that express the Cre recombinase specifically in germinal center (GC) B-cells to generate mice with tissue-specific deletion of Rb in germinal center cells (Cg1-Rb-KO), and we aged these mice to assess disease development. Results:In Cg1-Rb-KO mice, we demonstrated the Rb1 locus was successfully recombined in splenic germinal center cells (B220+, GL7+ and IgG1+), as well as in post-germinal center cells (B220-, CD138+). Recombination was also detectable in bone marrow B-cell but not myeloid cell progenitors. Cg1-Rb-KO mice developed normally but became ill starting at 40 weeks of age. Sick mice demonstrated weight loss, hypoplastic spleens, osteopenia and significant lymphopenia. Thorough analysis of bone marrow and spleen hematopoietic progenitor cell subsets by multi-parameter flow cytometry at the time of death revealed dramatic reductions in marrow B-cell (Hardy fractions C-D, from 3.18×103to 40 cells and from 1.4×106 to 7.5×104cells respectively), suggesting an effective collapse of the B-cell lineage in mice lacking Rb. Examination of Cg1-Rb-KO mice prior to becoming sick (age 30–35 weeks) demonstrated increased numbers of B-cell progenitors in the bone marrow, consistent with Rb’s known role in cell cycle regulation. Together, our results suggest Cg1-Rb-KO mice develop benign B-cell hyperplasia followed by a lethal collapse of the B-cell lineage. To help explain this B-cell exhaustion phenotype, we measured reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the B-cell of young Cg1-Rb-KO mice. We observed significantly increased ROS in Cg1-Rb-KO mice at baseline and following LPS stimulation ex vivo and in vivo compared to p107-KO control mice, suggesting that B-cells from Cg1-Rb-KO mice have elevated levels of oxidative stress. Conclusion:Rb1 is important for maintenance of B-cell homeostasis and protects B-lineage progenitor cells from oxidative stress and exhaustion. Rb1 deletion was not sufficient for B-cell transformation and additional mutations are likely required for MM development in the context of complete RB1 loss. Disclosures:Vij:Millennium: Speakers Bureau.

On the role of retinoblastoma family proteins in the establishment and maintenance of the epigenetic landscape

RB family members are negative regulators of the cell cycle, involved in numerous biological processes such as cellular senescence, development and differentiation. Disruption of RB family pathways are linked to loss of cell cycle control, cellular immortalization and cancer. RB family, and in particular the most studied member RB/p105, has been considered a tumor suppressor gene by more than three decades, and numerous efforts have been done to understand his molecular activity. However, the epigenetic mechanisms behind Rb-mediated tumor suppression have been uncovered only in recent years. In this review, the role of RB family members in cancer epigenetics will be discussed. We start with an introduction to epigenomes, chromatin modifications and cancer epigenetics. In order to provide a clear picture of the involvement of RB family in the epigenetic field, we describe the RB family role in the epigenetic landscape dynamics based on the heterochromatin variety involved, facultative or constitutive. We want to stress that, despite dissimilar modulations, RB family is involved in both mammalian varieties of heterochromatin establishment and maintenance and that disruption of RB family pathways drives to alterations of both heterochromatin structures, thus to the global epigenetic landscape.

The Retinoblastoma Protein Is Essential for Survival of Postmitotic Neurons

The retinoblastoma protein (Rb) family members are essential regulators of cell cycle progression, principally through regulation of the E2f transcription factors. Growing evidence indicates that abnormal cell cycle signals can participate in neuronal death. In this regard, the role of Rb (p105) itself has been controversial. Germline Rb deletion leads to massive neuronal loss, but initial reports argue that death is non-cell autonomous. To more definitively resolve this question, we generated acute murine knock-out models of Rb in terminally differentiated neurons in vitro and in vivo. Surprisingly, we report that acute inactivation of Rb in postmitotic neurons results in ectopic cell cycle protein expression and neuronal loss without concurrent induction of classical E2f-mediated apoptotic genes, such as Apaf1 or Puma. These results suggest that terminally differentiated neurons require Rb for continuous cell cycle repression and survival.

RB AND P130 CONTROL THE POST-MITOTIC PHENOTYPE IN ADULT HEART MUSCLE BY RECRUITING THE HETEROCHROMATIN PROMOTING FACTOR HP1γ TO GROWTH ASSOCIATED GENES

ObjectivesAlthough the regenerative potential of the heart is a matter of debate, normal adult cardiac myocytes (ACM) are post-mitotic and E2F-dependent genes involved in G2/M and cytokinesis are stably repressed....

A postulated role of p130 in telomere maintenance by human papillomavirus oncoprotein E7

High-risk human papillomaviruses (HR-HPVs) infections is highly associated with the development of cervical cancer. It is now recognized that telomere length maintenance or extension is indispensable for carcinogenesis. The early oncoproteins E6 and E7 are the main malignant transformation factors of HR-HPVs and they maintain telomeres by different mechanisms, of which E6 protein activating telomerase is well documented. Reports showed that E7 protein utilized an alternative lengthen of telomere (ALT) mechanism to restore telomere length, yet the underlying molecular basis remains largely unknown. We propose that degradation of tumor suppressor pRb family member p130 plays an essential role in E7-regulated telomere extension by ALT. ALT is a mechanism based on homologous recombination (HR) between telomere sister chromatids, and a number of proteins involved in the HR pathway, such as MRN [MRE11 (meiotic recombination 11)–Rad50–NBS1 (Nijmegen breakage syndrome 1)] complex are required for the ALT pathway. Rb family member p130 could inhibit ALT by interacting with Rad50, while HPV E7 could activate ALT by degrading p130. We will make E7 mutants which are defective in p130 degradation to test whether these cells have a limited life span. Besides, immunofluorescence assay will show an ALT-related promyelocytic leukemia (PML) body (APBs) in E7-expressing cells. Although cervical cancer usually has high telomerase activities since the expressing of HPV E6, the anti-telomerase therapy will be unavailable for cervical cancer since it may activate E7-induced ALT. Our hypothesis not only enrich the knowledge of the regulation of ALT, but also indicate that p130 may serve as a potential suppressor of ALT, and gene therapy of p130 may be used in cervical cancers.

Abstract 3346: Astrocytoma initiation by Rb family inactivation induced dedifferentiation of mature astrocytes.

Abstract Astrocytomas are the most common primary human malignant brain tumors. Despite standard-of-care surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy, no curative treatment for these devastating diseases is currently available. Tumor-initiating cells (TICs), a small population of tumor cells is shown to be responsible for astrocytoma initiation and progression. Though their presence has been convincingly shown, there is considerable debate about their origin. By using genetically engineered mice, we hypothesis that loss of Rb family, induces dedifferentiation of mature astrocytes which are capable of evolving into TICs. Our lab has developed an adult mouse model where inactivation of retinoblastoma (Rb) family proteins by expressing N-terminal 121aa of large T antigen (T121), initiates grade II astrocytoma. pRb inactivation and mutant KrasG12D activation leads to grade III astrocytoma and further PTEN inactivation results in Grade IV glioblastomas. We have utilized the Rb family inactivation model to investigate the dedifferentiation of mature astrocytes. We have performed IHC using progenitor markers, Sox2 and nestin and a proliferation marker Ki67 and observe the presence of these markers coinciding with T121 expression suggesting a possible dedifferentiation of mature astrocytes. Quantitative analysis of the overlap between Sox2 and Ki-67 with T121 indicates that the marker presence is specific to T121 expression. In addition to these markers, we also show that S100α an astrocyte differentiation marker is downregulated in pRb inactivated cells further supporting the hypothesis of possible dedifferentiation of mature astrocytes. Since T121 expression is induced in all GFAP expressing cells, there is a possibility that the GFAP expressing cells in the germinal areas such as SVZ and dentate gyrus could be migrating into the cortex and form the observed progenitor cells. To address this issue we used lenti-Cre to focally induce T121 expression in the cortex. Sox2 expression, along with the reduced expression of differentiation marker S100α in these cells, suggests that the dedifferentiation events are independent of the germinal zones in the adult brain. As a functional assay to identify progenitor/ stem cells we performed neurosphere assay. In our assay conditions, wildtype adult cortex was unable to generate any spheres compared to T121 expressing cells. We found that the longer the post induction time the higher the sphere forming ability of T121 cells. The multilineage ability of these T spheres cells was confirmed by inducing differentiation into different neural lineages. To test the tumor forming ability of the sphere cells, we have performed subcutaneous injections and awaiting the results. Thus we conclude that in our system inactivation of Rb family members induced dedifferentiation in mature astrocytes. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 103rd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2012 Mar 31-Apr 4; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2012;72(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 3346. doi:1538-7445.AM2012-3346

Reorganization of the host epigenome by a viral oncogene

Adenovirus small e1a oncoprotein causes ∼70% reduction in cellular levels of histone H3 lysine 18 acetylation (H3K18ac). It is unclear, however, where this dramatic reduction occurs genome-wide. ChIP-sequencing revealed that by 24 h after expression, e1a erases 95% of H3K18ac peaks in normal, contact-inhibited fibroblasts and replaces them with one-third as many at new genomic locations. The H3K18ac peaks at promoters and intergenic regions of genes with fibroblast-related functions are eliminated after infection, and new H3K18ac peaks are established at promoters of highly induced genes that regulate cell cycling and at new putative enhancers. Strikingly, the regions bound by the retinoblastoma family of proteins in contact-inhibited fibroblasts gain new peaks of H3K18ac in the e1a-expressing cells, including 55% of RB1-bound loci. In contrast, over half of H3K9ac peaks are similarly distributed before and after infection, independently of RB1. The strategic redistribution of H3K18ac by e1a highlights the importance of this modification for transcriptional activation and cellular transformation as well as functional differences between the RB-family member proteins.

Abstract PR-12: Loss of the retinoblastoma protein alters glucose and glutamine metabolism.

Abstract Tumorigenesis requires not only loss of proliferative control, but also a metabolic shift towards increased glucose and glutamine consumption required for increased energy production and to drive the de novo biosynthesis of nucleotides, amino acids, and lipids essential for cell division. These processes are primarily driven through oncogenes or loss of tumor suppressors, which act to circumvent normal regulatory pathways. The retinoblastoma (Rb) protein, the first described tumor suppressor, is extensively involved in cell cycle regulation, and perturbations within the Rb pathway are found in most tumor types. Beyond cell cycle control, Rb has been implicated in multiple additional biochemical pathways known to be involved in tumor progression, such as metastasis and angiogenesis. However, little is known about the role of Rb in regulating the unique changes in metabolism that have been observed in human cancers. Using stable 13C-glucose isotopomer NMR analysis, we found that triple knock-out (TKO) of all three Rb family members in mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs) resulted in increased glucose uptake and flux to lactate, and simultaneously decreased glucose-derived carbon incorporation into Krebs' cycle intermediates relative to wild-type (WT) MEFs. To supplement this loss of glucose carbons for anaplerosis within the Krebs' cycle, we speculated that the Rb TKO MEFs may increase glutamine uptake for both bioenergetic and anabolic precursors. We observed that loss of Rb caused increased 13C-glutamine uptake and flux into glutamate and Krebs' cycle intermediates using isotopomer NMR analyses. Importantly, this shift towards glutamine utilization was essential for the survival of Rb TKO MEFs and not for the WT MEFs. Preliminary studies of the precise downstream metabolic enzymes that may in part mediate these global changes in metabolism then demonstrated that the expression of distinct regulatory metabolic enzymes, including glucose transporters, hexokinase 2, and glutaminase 1, are simultaneously increased in the Rb TKO MEFs compared to WT MEFs. Combined, these studies suggest that inactivation of the Rb protein in human cancers leads to a global metabolic shift towards enhanced glycolysis and glutamine utilization, which in turn is required for neoplastic immortalization and transformation. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR-NCI-EORTC International Conference: Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics; 2011 Nov 12-16; San Francisco, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Mol Cancer Ther 2011;10(11 Suppl):Abstract nr PR-12.

Highlights from Recent Cancer Literature

Highlights from Recent Cancer Literature

Rb and p130 control cell cycle gene silencing to maintain the postmitotic phenotype in cardiac myocytes

The mammalian heart loses its regenerative potential soon after birth. Adult cardiac myocytes (ACMs) permanently exit the cell cycle, and E2F-dependent genes are stably silenced, although the underlying mechanism is unclear. Heterochromatin, which silences genes in many biological contexts, accumulates with cardiac differentiation. H3K9me3, a histone methylation characteristic of heterochromatin, also increases in ACMs and at E2F-dependent promoters. We hypothesize that genes relevant for cardiac proliferation are targeted to heterochromatin by retinoblastoma (Rb) family members interacting with E2F transcription factors and recruiting heterochromatin protein 1 (HP1) proteins. To test this hypothesis, we created cardiac-specific Rb and p130 inducible double knockout (IDKO) mice. IDKO ACMs showed a decrease in total heterochromatin, and cell cycle genes were derepressed, leading to proliferation of ACMs. Although Rb/p130 deficiency had no effect on total H3K9me3 levels, recruitment of HP1-γ to promoters was lost. Depleting HP1-γ up-regulated proliferation-promoting genes in ACMs. Thus, Rb and p130 have overlapping roles in maintaining the postmitotic state of ACMs through their interaction with HP1-γ to direct heterochromatin formation and silencing of proliferation-promoting genes.

MiR-17∼92 cooperates with RB pathway mutations to promote retinoblastoma

The miR-17~92 cluster is a potent microRNA-encoding oncogene. Here, we show that miR-17~92 synergizes with loss of Rb family members to promote retinoblastoma. We observed miR-17~92 genomic amplifications in murine retinoblastoma and high expression of miR-17~92 in human retinoblastoma. While miR-17~92 was dispensable for mouse retinal development, miR-17~92 overexpression, together with deletion of Rb and p107, led to rapid emergence of retinoblastoma with frequent metastasis to the brain. miR-17~92 oncogenic function in retinoblastoma was not mediated by a miR-19/PTEN axis toward apoptosis suppression, as found in lymphoma/leukemia models. Instead, miR-17~92 increased the proliferative capacity of Rb/p107-deficient retinal cells. We found that deletion of Rb family members led to compensatory up-regulation of the cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor p21Cip1. miR-17~92 overexpression counteracted p21Cip1 up-regulation, promoted proliferation, and drove retinoblastoma formation. These results demonstrate that the oncogenic determinants of miR-17~92 are context-specific and provide new insights into miR-17~92 function as an RB-collaborating gene in cancer.

A dual role for A-type lamins in DNA double-strand break repair

A-type lamins are emerging as regulators of nuclear organization and function. Changes in their expression are associated with cancer and mutations are linked to degenerative diseases -laminopathies-. Although a correlation exists between alterations in lamins and genomic instability, the molecular mechanisms remain largely unknown. We previously found that loss of A-type lamins leads to degradation of 53BP1 protein and defective long-range non-homologous end-joining (NHEJ) of dysfunctional telomeres. Here, we determined how loss of A-type lamins affects the repair of short-range DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) induced by ionizing radiation (IR). We find that lamins deficiency allows activation of the DNA damage response, but compromises the accumulation of 53BP1 at IR-induced foci (IRIF), hindering the fast phase of repair corresponding to classical-NHEJ. Importantly, reconstitution of 53BP1 is sufficient to rescue long-range and short-range NHEJ. Moreover, we demonstrate an unprecedented role for A-type lamins in the maintenance of homologous recombination (HR). Depletion of lamins compromises HR by a mechanism involving transcriptional downregulation of BRCA1 and RAD51 by the repressor complex formed by the Rb family member p130 and E2F4. In line with the DNA repair defects, lamins-deficient cells exhibit increased radiosensitivity. This study demonstrates that A-type lamins promote genomic stability by maintaining the levels of proteins with key roles in DNA DSBs repair by NHEJ and HR. Our results suggest that silencing of A-type lamins by DNA methylation in some cancers could contribute to the genomic instability that drives malignancy. In addition, lamins-deficient tumor cells could represent a good target for radiation therapy.