Gap junctional communication between cancer cells and blood capillary cells is crucial to tumor growth and invasion. Gap junctions may transfer microRNAs (miRs) among cells. Here, we explore the impact of such a transfer in co-culture assays, using the antitumor miR-145 as an example. The SW480 colon carcinoma cells form functional gap junction composed of connexin-43 (Cx43) with human microvascular endothelial cells (HMEC). When HMEC are loaded with miR-145-5p mimics, the miR-145 level drastically increases in SW480. The functional inhibition of gap junctions, using either a gap channel blocker or siRNA targeting Cx43, prevents this increase. The transfer of miR-145 also occurs from SW480 to HMEC but not in non-contact co-cultures, excluding the involvement of soluble exosomes. The miR-145 transfer to SW480 up-regulates their Cx43 expression and inhibits their ability to promote angiogenesis. Our results indicate that the gap junctional communication can inhibit tumor growth by transferring miRs from one endothelial cell to neighboring tumor cells. This "bystander" effect could find application in cancer therapy.

Supplementary Figures 1-7, Table 1 from Peptides and Aptamers Targeting HSP70: A Novel Approach for Anticancer Chemotherapy

Cohen syndrome (CS) is a rare genetic disorder due to mutations in VPS13B gene. Among various clinical and biological features, CS patients suffer from inconsistent neutropenia, which is associated with recurrent but minor infections. We demonstrate here that this neutropenia results from an exaggerate rate of neutrophil apoptosis. Besides this increased cell death, which occurs in the absence of any endoplasmic reticulum stress or defect in neutrophil elastase (ELANE) expression or localization, all neutrophil functions appeared to be normal. We showed a disorganization of the Golgi apparatus in CS neutrophils precursors, that correlates with an altered glycosylation of ICAM-1 in these cells, as evidenced by a migration shift of the protein. Furthermore, a striking decrease in the expression of SERPINB1 gene, which encodes a critical component of neutrophil survival, was detected in CS neutrophils. These abnormalities may account for the excessive apoptosis of neutrophils leading to neutropenia in CS. KEY MESSAGES: Cohen syndrome patients' neutrophils display normal morphology and functions. Cohen syndrome patients' neutrophils have an increased rate of spontaneous apoptosis compared to healthy donors' neutrophils. No ER stress or defective ELA2 expression or glycosylation was observed in Cohen syndrome patients' neutrophils. SerpinB1 expression is significantly decreased in Cohen syndrome neutrophils as well as in VPS13B-deficient cells.

Better identification of severe acute graft-versus-host disease (GvHD) may improve the outcome of this life-threatening complication of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. GvHD induces tissue damage and the release of damage-associated molecular pattern (DAMP) molecules. Here, we analyzed GvHD patients (n = 39) to show that serum heat shock protein glycoprotein 96 (Gp96) could be such a DAMP molecule. We demonstrate that serum Gp96 increases in gastrointestinal GvHD patients and its level correlates with disease severity. An increase in Gp96 serum level was also observed in a mouse model of acute GvHD. This model was used to identify complement C3 as a main partner of Gp96 in the serum. Our biolayer interferometry, yeast two-hybrid and in silico modeling data allowed us to determine that Gp96 binds to a complement C3 fragment encompassing amino acids 749-954, a functional complement C3 hot spot important for binding of different regulators. Accordingly, in vitro experiments with purified proteins demonstrate that Gp96 downregulates several complement C3 functions. Finally, experimental induction of GvHD in complement C3-deficient mice confirms the link between Gp96 and complement C3 in the serum and with the severity of the disease.

Abstract Diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL) is an aggressive lymphoproliferative disorder of B lymphocytes accounting for 30 % of adult Non Hodgkin Lymphoma (NHL). Among DLBCL, Activated B Cell - DLBCL (ABC-DLBCL) is the most aggressive form and has a poor prognosis. Heat-shock proteins (HSPs) are molecular chaperons highly expressed in cancer cells and implicated in resistance to radio- and chemotherapy. Therefore, HSPs are envisioned as therapeutic targets in many cancers. Among the different HSPs, HSP110 has been recently identified as a pro-survival factor in germinal center-derived DLBCL (GC-DLBCL), through stabilization of the GC-DLBCL oncogene Bcl-6. Here, we have explored if HSP110 could also be involved in the survival of the most aggressive form of DLBCL. We observed a high HSP110 expression in all ABC-DLBCL patient samples, compared to normal reactive lymph nodes by using IHC staining of ABC-DLBCL tumor sections and transcriptional analysis of ABC-DLBCL patient tumors. Furthermore, shRNA silencing of HSP110 decreases the survival of several ABC-DLBCL cell lines, and downregulates the expression of pro-survival factors such as BcL2 and BcL-XL. SiRNA silencing of HSP110 abrogates NF-kB signaling, which is the major oncogenic pathway in ABC-DLBCL cell lines. In accord with these results, over-expression of HSP110 in DLBCL and non-DLBCL cell lines increases NF-kB signaling, indicating a tight interplay between HSP110 and the NF-kB pathway. Using immune-precipitation and DuolinkTM assays, we identified an in vitro and in cellulo interaction between HSP110 and Myd88, a critical protein of the NF-kB pathway that bears an activated mutation in many ABC-DLBC patients and that is responsible for lymphoma aggressiveness. Finally, we demonstrate that HSP110 stabilizes the wild type as well as the mutated form of Myd88, therefore facilitating the chronic NF-kB pathway activation in those cells. In conclusion, we identified HSP110 as a regulator of NF-kB signaling through MyD88 stabilization in ABC-DLBCL. This finding highlights HSP110 as a new potential therapeutic target in DLBCL. Citation Format: Christophe Boudesco, Sebastien Causse, Arlette Hammann, Els Verhoeyen, Laurent Martin, Thierry Fest, Oliver Wolz, Alexander Weber, Carmen Garrido, Gaetan Jego. HSP110 sustains aberrant NFkB signaling in activated B-cell diffuse large B-cell lymphoma through MyD88 stabilization [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2017; 2017 Apr 1-5; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2017;77(13 Suppl):Abstract nr LB-017. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2017-LB-017

CD45 is a pan-leukocyte protein with tyrosine phosphatase activity involved in the regulation of signal transduction in hematopoiesis. Exploiting CD45 KO mice and lentiviral shRNA, we prove the crucial role that CD45 plays in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) development and maintenance. We discovered that CD45 does not colocalize with lipid rafts on murine and human non-transformed hematopoietic cells. Using a mouse model, we proved that CD45 positioning within lipid rafts is modified during their oncogenic transformation to AML. CD45 colocalized with lipid rafts on AML cells, which contributes to elevated GM-CSF signal intensity involved in proliferation of leukemic cells. We furthermore proved that the GM-CSF/Lyn/Stat3 pathway that contributes to growth of leukemic cells could be profoundly affected, by using a new plasma membrane disrupting agent, which rapidly delocalized CD45 away from lipid rafts. We provide evidence that this mechanism is also effective on human primary AML samples and xenograft transplantation. In conclusion, this study highlights the emerging evidence of the involvement of lipid rafts in oncogenic development of AML and the targeting of CD45 positioning among lipid rafts as a new strategy in the treatment of AML.

Trim33/Tif1 gamma (Trim33) is a member of the tripartite motif family. Using a conditional hematopoietic-specific Trim33 knock-out (Trim33(Delta/Delta)) mouse, we showed previously that Trim33 deficiency in hematopoietic stem cells leads to severe defects in hematopoiesis, resembling the main features of human chronic myelomonocytic leukemia. We also demonstrated that Trim33 is involved in hematopoietic aging through TGF beta signaling. Nevertheless, how Trim33 contributes to the terminal stages of myeloid differentiation remains to be clarified. We reveal here the crucial role of Trim33 expression in the control of mature granulomonocytic differentiation. An important component of Trim33-deficient mice is the alteration of myeloid differentiation, as characterized by dysplastic features, abnormal granulocyte and monocyte maturation, and the expansion of CD11b(+)Ly6G(high)-Ly6C(low) myeloid cells, which share some features with polymorphonuclear-myeloid-derived suppressor cells. Moreover, in Trim33(Delta/Delta) mice, we observed the alteration of CSF-1-mediated macrophage differentiation in association with the lack of Csf-1 receptor. Altogether, these results indicate that Trim33 deficiency leads to the expansion of a subset of myeloid cells characterizing the myelodysplastic/myeloproliferative neoplasm. Copyright (C) 2016 ISEH - International Society for Experimental Hematology. Published by Elsevier Inc.

HSP110 is induced by different stresses and, through its anti-apoptotic and chaperoning properties, helps the cells to survive these adverse situations. In colon cancers, HSP110 is abnormally abundant. We have recently showed that colorectal cancer (CRC) patients with microsatellite instability (MSI) had an improved response to chemotherapy because they harbor an HSP110 inactivating mutation (HSP110DE9). In this work, we have used patients' biopsies and human CRC cells grown in vitro and in vivo (xenografts) to demonstrate that (1) HSP110 is secreted by CRC cells and that the amount of this extracellular HSP110 is strongly decreased by the expression of the mutant HSP110DE9, (2) Supernatants from CRC cells overexpressing HSP110 or purified recombinant human HSP110 (LPS-free) affect macrophage differentiation/polarization by favoring a pro-tumor, anti-inflammatory profile, (3) Conversely, inhibition of HSP110 (expression of siRNA, HSP110DE9 or immunodepletion) induced the formation of macrophages with a cytotoxic, pro-inflammatory profile. (4) Finally, this effect of extracellular HSP110 on macrophages seems to implicate TLR4. These results together with the fact that colorectal tumor biopsies with HSP110 high were infiltrated with macrophages with a pro-tumoral profile while those with HSP110 low were infiltrated with macrophages with a cytotoxic profile, suggest that the effect of extracellular HSP110 function on macrophages may also contribute to the poor outcomes associated with HSP110 expression.

Extensive invasion and angiogenesis are hallmark features of malignant glioblastomas.Here, we co-cultured U87 human glioblastoma cells and human microvascular endothelial cells (HMEC) to demonstrate the exchange of microRNAs that initially involve the formation of gap junction communications between the two cell types.The functional inhibition of gap junctions by carbenoxolone blocks the transfer of the anti-tumor miR-145-5p from HMEC to U87, and the transfer of the proinvasive miR-5096 from U87 to HMEC.These two microRNAs exert opposite effects on angiogenesis in vitro.MiR-5096 was observed to promote HMEC tubulogenesis, initially by increasing Cx43 expression and the formation of heterocellular gap junctions, and secondarily through a gap-junction independent pathway.Our results highlight the importance of microRNA exchanges between tumor and endothelial cells that in part involves the formation of functional gap junctions between the two cell types.

BACKGROUND Exosomes, via heat shock protein 70 (HSP70) expressed in their membrane, are able to interact with the toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2) on myeloid-derived suppressive cells (MDSCs), thereby activating them. METHODS We analyzed exosomes from mouse (C57Bl/6) and breast, lung, and ovarian cancer patient samples and cultured cancer cells with different approaches, including nanoparticle tracking analysis, biolayer interferometry, FACS, and electron microscopy. Data were analyzed with the Student's t and Mann-Whitney tests. All statistical tests were two-sided. RESULTS We showed that the A8 peptide aptamer binds to the extracellular domain of membrane HSP70 and used the aptamer to capture HSP70 exosomes from cancer patient samples. The number of HSP70 exosomes was higher in cancer patients than in healthy donors (mean, ng/mL ± SD = 3.5 ± 1.7 vs 0.17 ± 0.11, respectively, P = .004). Accordingly, all cancer cell lines examined abundantly released HSP70 exosomes, whereas "normal" cells did not. HSP70 had higher affinity for A8 than for TLR2; thus, A8 blocked HSP70/TLR2 association and the ability of tumor-derived exosomes to activate MDSCs. Treatment of tumor-bearing C57Bl/6 mice with A8 induced a decrease in the number of MDSCs in the spleen and inhibited tumor progression (n = 6 mice per group). Chemotherapeutic agents such as cisplatin or 5FU increase the amount of HSP70 exosomes, favoring the activation of MDSCs and hampering the development of an antitumor immune response. In contrast, this MDSC activation was not observed if cisplatin or 5FU was combined with A8. As a result, the antitumor effect of the drugs was strongly potentiated. CONCLUSIONS A8 might be useful for quantifying tumor-derived exosomes and for cancer therapy through MDSC inhibition.

Objective: Plasma phospholipid transfer protein (PLTP) is a key determinant of lipoprotein metabolism, and both animal and human studies converge to indicate that PLTP promotes atherogenesis and its thromboembolic complications. Moreover, it has recently been reported that PLTP modulates inflammation and immune responses. Although earlier studies from our group demonstrated that PLTP can modify macrophage activation, the implication of PLTP in the modulation of T-cell-mediated immune responses has never been investigated and was therefore addressed in the present study. Approach and results: In the present study, we demonstrated that PLTP deficiency in mice has a profound effect on CD4+ Th0 cell polarization, with a shift towards the anti-inflammatory Th2 phenotype under both normal and pathological conditions. In a model of contact hypersensitivity, a significantly impaired response to skin sensitization with the hapten-2,4-dinitrofluorobenzene (DNFB) was observed in PLTP-deficient mice compared to wild-type (WT) mice. Interestingly, PLTP deficiency in mice exerted no effect on the counts of total white blood cells, lymphocytes, granulocytes, or monocytes in the peripheral blood. Moreover, PLTP deficiency did not modify the amounts of CD4+ and CD8+ T lymphocyte subsets. However, PLTP-deficiency, associated with upregulation of the Th2 phenotype, was accompanied by a significant decrease in the production of the pro-Th1 cytokine interleukin 18 by accessory cells. Conclusions: For the first time, this work reports a physiological role for PLTP in the polarization of CD4+ T cells toward the pro-inflammatory Th1 phenotype.

SignificanceHematopoietic stem cell aging has been directly linked to the development of several hematological disorders, including myeloproliferative diseases. Here we show that in elderly mice (20 mo old), physiological aging of the hematopoietic system is linked to a decreased expression of transcription intermediary factor 1γ (Tif1γ) in HSCs. In turn, in young Tif1γ−/−mice (4 mo old), the hematopoiesis aging phenotype is exacerbated. In both sets of mice, Tif1γ level controls the TGF-β receptor 1 (Tgfbr1) turnover and subtly regulates the number of myeloid-biased HSCs in bone marrow. We establish that young Tif1γ−/−mice develop a phenotype of premature hematopoietic aging that may explain their predisposition to myeloproliferative disease.

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a devastating disease characterized by myofibroblast proliferation. Transition of epithelial/mesothelial cells into myofibroblasts [epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT)] occurs under the influence of transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta 1, with Snail being a major transcription factor. We study here the role of the heat-shock protein HSP27 in fibrogenesis and EMT. In vitro, we have up-and down-modulated HSP27 expression in mesothelial and epithelial cell lines and studied the expression of different EMT markers induced by TGF-beta 1. In vivo, we inhibited HSP27 with the antisense oligonucleotide OGX-427 (in phase II clinical trials as anticancer agent) in our rat subpleural/pulmonary fibrosis models. We demonstrate that HSP27 is strongly expressed during the fibrotic process in patients with IPF and in different in vivo models. We showed that HSP27 binds to and stabilizes Snail and consequently induces EMT. Conversely, HSP27 knockdown leads to Snail proteasomal degradation, thus inhibiting TGF-beta 1-induced EMT. Inhibition of HSP27 with OGX-427 efficiently blocks EMT and fibrosis development. Controls in vivo were an empty adenovirus that did not induce fibrosis and a control antisense oligonucleotide. The present work opens the possibility of a new therapeutic use for HSP27 inhibitors against IPF, for which there is no conclusively effective treatment.-Wettstein, G., Bellaye, P.-S., Kolb, M., Hammann, A., Crestani, B., Soler, P., Marchal-Somme, J., Hazoume, A., Gauldie, J., Gunther, A., Micheau, O., Gleave, M., Camus, P., Garrido, C., Bonniaud, P. Inhibition of HSP27 blocks fibrosis development and EMT features by promoting Snail degradation. FASEB J. 27, 1549-1560 (2013). www.fasebj.org

Abstract 2370 TIF1gamma (or TRIM33) is an ubiquitous nuclear protein that belongs to the transcriptional intermediary factor 1 family. Human and mouse TIF1gamma are closely related to zebrafish moonshine (mon), a gene whose mutations disrupt embryonic and adult hematopoiesis with severe red blood cell aplasia. Targeted deletion of Tif1gamma is embryonic lethal in mice. In zebrafish and human CD34+ cells, TIF1gamma functionally links positive elongation factors such as p-TEFb and FACT to blood specific transcription complexes (e.g. the SCL/TAL1 complex) to regulate elongation of genes by antagonizing Pol II pausing. TIF1gamma also affects the human hematopoietic progenitor cell response to the cytokines of the transforming growth factor-beta superfamily through various mechanisms. Recently, we showed that the loss of Tif1gamma in mouse hematopoietic stem cells (cFES-Cre-Tif1gamma) favors the expansion of the granulo-monocytic progenitor compartment. The gene deletion induces the age-dependent appearance of a cell-autonomous myeloproliferative disorder with myelodysplastic features, monocytosis, and hepatosplenomegaly that recapitulates essential features of human chronic myelomonocytic leukemia (CMML). Interestingly, TIF1gamma is almost undetectable in leukemic cells of 35% of patients with CMML. This down-regulation is related to the hyper-methylation of CpG sequences in the gene promoter. Our results demonstrated that TIF1gamma is an epigenetically regulated tumor suppressor gene in hematopoietic cells. In addition, an altered production of peritoneal macrophages was observed in our mouse model. These macrophages did not adhere to the plastic and were morphologically abnormal in vitro. In bone marrow and in Lin- progenitor cells, Tif1gamma deletion leads to a significant decrease of cfms (Csf-1r) expression, required for the differentiation, proliferation, and survival of monocytic phagocytes. We also identified in CMML patients the association between low levels of TIF1gamma and cFMS (Aucagne et al., J. Clin. Invest., 121, 2361–2370, 2011). To gain insight into the possible mechanism accounting for diminished accumulation of macrophages, we examined the expression of c-Fms. We show that level of its expression is reduced significantly in blood monocytes isolated from Tif1gamma-deleted mice. When Tif1gamma-deleted sorted myeloid cells were induced to differentiate into macrophages in presence of CSF-1, a delayed production of few abnormal large macrophages was observed. Apoptosis was associated with this alteration of differentiation. This phenomenon was also characterized in young mice not developing the disease yet. The morphological abnormalities were correlated with very important alterations of specific macrophage differentiation markers. Expression of specific transcription factors involved in macrophage differentiation was deeply deregulated. Moreover, macrophage function such as migration, cytokine or chemokine secretion in response to LPS was altered. Likewise, in vitro differentiation of monocytes into dendritic cells was also abnormal. Altogether, our results suggest that monocyte plasticity is at least partially orchestrated by Tif1gamma. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

Transcription intermediary factor 1γ (TIF1γ) was suggested to play a role in erythropoiesis. However, how TIF1γ regulates the development of different blood cell lineages and whether TIF1γ is involved in human hematological malignancies remain to be determined. Here we have shown that TIF1γ was a tumor suppressor in mouse and human chronic myelomonocytic leukemia (CMML). Loss of Tif1g in mouse HSCs favored the expansion of the granulo-monocytic progenitor compartment. Furthermore, Tif1g deletion induced the age-dependent appearance of a cell-autonomous myeloproliferative disorder in mice that recapitulated essential characteristics of human CMML. TIF1γ was almost undetectable in leukemic cells of 35% of CMML patients. This downregulation was related to the hypermethylation of CpG sequences and specific histone modifications in the gene promoter. A demethylating agent restored the normal epigenetic status of the TIF1G promoter in human cells, which correlated with a reestablishment of TIF1γ expression. Together, these results demonstrate that TIF1G is an epigenetically regulated tumor suppressor gene in hematopoietic cells and suggest that changes in TIF1γ expression may be a biomarker of response to demethylating agents in CMML.

The inactivation of the p53 tumor suppressor pathway in many cancers often increases their resistance to anticancer therapy. Here we show that a previously proposed strategy directed to Wip1 inhibition could be ineffective in tumors lacking p53. On the contrary, Wip1 overexpression sensitized these tumors to chemotherapeutic agents. This effect was mediated through interaction between Wip1 and RUNX2 that resulted, in response to anticancer treatment, in RUNX2-dependent transcriptional induction of the proapoptotic Bax protein. The potentiating effects of Wip1 overexpression on chemotherapeutic agents were directed only to tumor cells lacking p53. The overexpression of Wip1 in normal tissues provided protection from cisplatin-induced apoptosis through decreased strength of upstream signaling to p53. Thus, Wip1 phosphatase promotes apoptosis in p53-negative tumors and protects normal tissues during treatment with anticancer agents.

The inhibitor of apoptosis protein cIAP1 (cellular inhibitor of apoptosis protein-1) is a potent regulator of the tumor necrosis factor (TNF) receptor family and NF-κB signaling pathways in the cytoplasm. However, in some primary cells and tumor cell lines, cIAP1 is expressed in the nucleus, and its nuclear function remains poorly understood. Here, we show that the N-terminal part of cIAP1 directly interacts with the DNA binding domain of the E2F1 transcription factor. cIAP1 dramatically increases the transcriptional activity of E2F1 on synthetic and CCNE promoters. This function is not conserved for cIAP2 and XIAP, which are cytoplasmic proteins. Chromatin immunoprecipitation experiments demonstrate that cIAP1 is recruited on E2F binding sites of the CCNE and CCNA promoters in a cell cycle- and differentiation-dependent manner. cIAP1 silencing inhibits E2F1 DNA binding and E2F1-mediated transcriptional activation of the CCNE gene. In cells that express a nuclear cIAP1 such as HeLa, THP1 cells and primary human mammary epithelial cells, down-regulation of cIAP1 inhibits cyclin E and A expression and cell proliferation. We conclude that one of the functions of cIAP1 when localized in the nucleus is to regulate E2F1 transcriptional activity.

Abstract The inhibition of heat shock protein 70 (HSP70) is an emerging strategy in cancer therapy. Unfortunately, no specific inhibitors are clinically available. By yeast two-hybrid screening, we have identified multiple peptide aptamers that bind HSP70. When expressed in human tumor cells, two among these peptide aptamers—A8 and A17—which bind to the peptide-binding and the ATP-binding domains of HSP70, respectively, specifically inhibited the chaperone activity, thereby increasing the cells' sensitivity to apoptosis induced by anticancer drugs. The 13-amino acid peptide from the variable region of A17 (called P17) retained the ability to specifically inhibit HSP70 and induced the regression of subcutaneous tumors in vivo after local or systemic injection. This antitumor effect was associated with an important recruitment of macrophages and T lymphocytes into the tumor bed. Altogether, these data indicate that peptide aptamers or peptides that target HSP70 may be considered as novel lead compounds for cancer therapy. Cancer Res; 71(2); 484–95. ©2011 AACR.

Heat shock protein 27 (HSP27) is a chaperone whose cellular expression increases in response to various stresses and protects the cell either by inhibiting apoptotic cell death or by promoting the ubiquitination and proteasomal degradation of specific proteins. Here, we show that globin transcription factor 1 (GATA-1) is a client protein of HSP27. In 2 models of erythroid differentiation; that is, in the human erythroleukemia cell line, K562 induced to differentiate into erythroid cells on hemin exposure and CD34+ human cells ex vivo driven to erythroid differentiation in liquid culture, depletion of HSP27 provokes an accumulation of GATA-1 and impairs terminal maturation. More specifically, we demonstrate that, in the late stages of the erythroid differentiation program, HSP27 is phosphorylated in a p38-dependent manner, enters the nucleus, binds to GATA-1, and induces its ubiquitination and proteasomal degradation, provided that the transcription factor is acetylated. We conclude that HSP27 plays a role in the fine-tuning of terminal erythroid differentiation through regulation of GATA-1 content and activity.