PAQR4 is an orphan receptor in the PAQR family with an unknown function in metabolism. Here, we identify a critical role of PAQR4 in maintaining adipose tissue function and whole-body metabolic health. We demonstrate that expression of Paqr4 specifically in adipocytes, in an inducible and reversible fashion, leads to partial lipodystrophy, hyperglycaemia and hyperinsulinaemia, which is ameliorated by wild-type adipose tissue transplants or leptin treatment. By contrast, deletion of Paqr4 in adipocytes improves healthy adipose remodelling and glucose homoeostasis in diet-induced obesity. Mechanistically, PAQR4 regulates ceramide levels by mediating the stability of ceramide synthases (CERS2 and CERS5) and, thus, their activities. Overactivation of the PQAR4-CERS axis causes ceramide accumulation and impairs adipose tissue function through suppressing adipogenesis and triggering adipocyte de-differentiation. Blocking de novo ceramide biosynthesis rescues PAQR4-induced metabolic defects. Collectively, our findings suggest a critical function of PAQR4 in regulating cellular ceramide homoeostasis and targeting PAQR4 offers an approach for the treatment of metabolic disorders. PAQR4 regulates cellular ceramide synthesis and accumulation to mediate adipose tissue function, glucose homoeostasis and, thus, systemic metabolic health.

Adiponectin is a secretory protein, primarily produced in adipocytes. However, low but detectable expression of adiponectin can be observed in cell types beyond adipocytes, particularly in kidney tubular cells, but its local renal role is unknown. We assessed the impact of renal adiponectin by utilizing male inducible kidney tubular cell-specific adiponectin overexpression or knockout mice. Kidney-specific adiponectin overexpression induces a doubling of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase expression and enhanced pyruvate-mediated glucose production, tricarboxylic acid cycle intermediates and an upregulation of fatty acid oxidation (FAO). Inhibition of FAO reduces the adiponectin-induced enhancement of glucose production, highlighting the role of FAO in the induction of renal gluconeogenesis. In contrast, mice lacking adiponectin in the kidney exhibit enhanced glucose tolerance, lower utilization and greater accumulation of lipid species. Hence, renal adiponectin is an inducer of gluconeogenesis by driving enhanced local FAO and further underlines the important systemic contribution of renal gluconeogenesis.

The disease progression of the metabolic syndrome is associated with prolonged hyperlipidemia and insulin resistance, eventually giving rise to impaired insulin secretion, often concomitant with hypoadiponectinemia. As an adipose tissue derived hormone, adiponectin is beneficial for insulin secretion and β cell health and differentiation. However, the down-stream pathway of adiponectin in the pancreatic islets has not been studied extensively. Here, along with the overall reduction of endocrine pancreatic function in islets from adiponectin KO mice, we examine PPARα and HNF4α as additional down-regulated transcription factors during a prolonged metabolic challenge. To elucidate the function of β cell-specific PPARα and HNF4α expression, we developed doxycycline inducible pancreatic β cell-specific PPARα (β-PPARα) and HNF4α (β-HNF4α) overexpression mice. β-PPARα mice exhibited improved protection from lipotoxicity, but elevated β-oxidative damage in the islets, and also displayed lowered phospholipid levels and impaired glucose-stimulated insulin secretion. β-HNF4α mice showed a more severe phenotype when compared to β-PPARα mice, characterized by lower body weight, small islet mass and impaired insulin secretion. RNA-sequencing of the islets of these models highlights overlapping yet unique roles of β-PPARα and β-HNF4α. Given that β-HNF4α potently induces PPARα expression, we define a novel adiponectin-HNF4α-PPARα cascade. We further analyzed downstream genes consistently regulated by this axis. Among them, the islet amyloid polypeptide (IAPP) gene is an important target and accumulates in adiponectin KO mice. We propose a new mechanism of IAPP aggregation in type 2 diabetes through reduced adiponectin action.

Supplementary Table from Functional Characterization of lncRNA152 as an Angiogenesis-Inhibiting Tumor Suppressor in Triple-Negative Breast Cancers

Obesity is associated with increased cancer incidence and progression. However, the relationship between adiposity and cancer remains poorly understood at the mechanistic level. Here, we report that adipocytes from tumor-invasive mammary fat undergo de-differentiation to fibroblast-like precursor cells during tumor progression and integrate into the tumor microenvironment. Single-cell sequencing reveals that these de-differentiated adipocytes lose their original identities and transform into multiple cell types, including myofibroblast- and macrophage-like cells, with their characteristic features involved in immune response, inflammation, and extracellular matrix remodeling. The de-differentiated cells are metabolically distinct from tumor-associated fibroblasts but exhibit comparable effects on tumor cell proliferation. Inducing de-differentiation by Xbp1s overexpression promotes tumor progression despite lower adiposity. In contrast, promoting lipid-storage capacity in adipocytes through MitoNEET overexpression curbs tumor growth despite greater adiposity. Collectively, the metabolic interplay between tumor cells and adipocytes induces adipocyte mesenchymal transition and contributes to reconfigure the stroma into a more tumor-friendly microenvironment.

Abstract Long noncoding RNAs have been implicated in many of the hallmarks of cancer. Herein, we found that the expression of lncRNA152 (lnc152; a.k.a. DRAIC), which we annotated previously, is highly upregulated in luminal breast cancer (LBC) and downregulated in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). Knockdown of lnc152 promotes cell migration and invasion in LBC cell lines. In contrast, ectopic expression of lnc152 inhibits growth, migration, invasion, and angiogenesis in TNBC cell lines. In mice, lnc152 inhibited the growth of TNBC cell xenografts, as well as metastasis of TNBC cells in an intracardiac injection model. Transcriptome analysis of the xenografts indicated that lnc152 downregulates genes controlling angiogenesis. Using pull down assays followed by LC/MS-MS, we identified RBM47, a known tumor suppressor in breast cancer, as a lnc152-interacting protein. The effects of lnc152 in TNBC cells are mediated, in part, by regulating the expression of RBM47. Collectively, our results demonstrate that lnc152 is an angiogenesis-inhibiting tumor suppressor that attenuates the aggressive cancer-related phenotypes found in TNBC. Implications: This study identifies lncRNA152 as an angiogenesis-inhibiting tumor suppressor that attenuates the aggressive cancer-related phenotypes found in TNBC by upregulating the expression of the tumor suppressor RBM47. As such, lncRNA152 may serve as a biomarker to track aggressiveness of breast cancer, as well as therapeutic target for treating TNBC.

Homologous recombination (HR) repair deficiency impairs the proper maintenance of genomic stability, thus rendering cancer cells vulnerable to loss or inhibition of DNA repair proteins, such as poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase-1 (PARP-1). Inhibitors of nuclear PARPs are effective therapeutics for a number of different types of cancers. Here we review key concepts and current progress on the therapeutic use of PARP inhibitors (PARPi). PARPi selectively induce synthetic lethality in cancer cells with homologous recombination deficiencies (HRDs), the most notable being cancer cells harboring mutations in the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes. Recent clinical evidence, however, shows that PARPi can be effective as cancer therapeutics regardless of BRCA1/2 or HRD status, suggesting that a broader population of patients might benefit from PARPi therapy. Currently, four PARPi have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of advanced ovarian and breast cancer with deleterious BRCA mutations. Although PARPi have been shown to improve progression-free survival, cancer cells inevitably develop resistance, which poses a significant obstacle to the prolonged use of PARP inhibitors. For example, somatic BRCA1/2 reversion mutations are often identified in patients with BRCA1/2 -mutated cancers after treatment with platinum-based therapy, causing restoration of HR capacity and thus conferring PARPi resistance. Accordingly, PARPi have been studied in combination with other targeted therapies to overcome PARPi resistance, enhance PARPi efficacy, and sensitize tumors to PARP inhibition. Moreover, multiple clinical trials are now actively underway to evaluate novel combinations of PARPi with other anticancer therapies for the treatment of PARPi-resistant cancer. In this review, we highlight the mechanisms of action of PARP inhibitors with or without BRCA1/2 defects and provide an overview of the ongoing clinical trials of PARPi. We also review the current progress on PARPi-based combination strategies and PARP inhibitor resistance.

Rates of obesity and diabetes have increased significantly over the past decades and the prevalence is expected to continue to rise further in the coming years. Many observations suggest that obesity and diabetes are associated with an increased risk of developing several types of cancers, including liver, pancreatic, endometrial, colorectal, and post-menopausal breast cancer. The path towards developing obesity and diabetes is affected by multiple factors, including adipokines, inflammatory cytokines, growth hormones, insulin resistance, and hyperlipidemia. The metabolic abnormalities associated with changes in the levels of these factors in obesity and diabetes have the potential to significantly contribute to the development and progression of cancer through the regulation of distinct signaling pathways. Here, we highlight the cellular and molecular pathways that constitute the links between obesity, diabetes, cancer risk and mortality. This includes a description of the existing evidence supporting the obesity-driven morphological and functional alternations of cancer cells and adipocytes through complex interactions within the tumor microenvironment.

Poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase-1 (PARP-1) is an abundant and ubiquitous nuclear enzyme that catalyzes the transfer of ADP-ribose from donor NAD+ molecules to specific amino acids on substrate proteins. The catalytic activity of PARP-1 has long been known to be allosterically stimulated by the free ends of DNA, such as those found at double-strand breaks in the genome. A number of studies have also shown that the catalytic activity of PARP-1 can also be stimulated by various types of RNA. A recent study by Nakamoto et al., however, has contradicted these results, concluding that the apparent stimulatory activity of the RNAs was due to contaminating DNA in the RNA preparations used in the biochemical assays. Here we show using a carefully controlled set of biochemical assays that DNA-free, in vitro-transcribed, PARP-1-interacting snoRNAs can stimulate PARP-1 catalytic activity. We confirmed the activation of PARP-1 by snoRNAs using a chemically synthesized snoRNA, as well as CRISPR/Cas9-mediated knockout of snoRNAs in cells. Finally, we provide a set of considerations and experimental conditions for the careful evaluation of RNA-stimulated PARP-1 catalytic activity that will help researchers avoid artifacts.

ADP-ribosylation (ADPRylation) is a posttranslational modification of proteins discovered nearly six decades ago, but many important questions remain regarding its molecular functions and biological roles, as well as the activity of the ADP-ribose (ADPR) transferase enzymes (PARP family members) that catalyze it. Growing evidence indicates that PARP-mediated ADPRylation events are key regulators of the protein biosynthetic pathway, leading from rDNA transcription and ribosome biogenesis to mRNA synthesis, processing, and translation. In this review we describe the role of PARP proteins and ADPRylation in all facets of this pathway. PARP-1 and its enzymatic activity are key regulators of rDNA transcription, which is a critical step in ribosome biogenesis. An emerging role of PARPs in alternative splicing of mRNAs, as well as direct ADPRylation of mRNAs, highlight the role of PARP members in RNA processing. Furthermore, PARP activity, stimulated by cellular stresses, such as viral infections and ER stress, leads to the regulation of mRNA stability and protein synthesis through posttranscriptional mechanisms. Dysregulation of PARP activity in these processes can promote disease states. Collectively, these results highlight the importance of PARP family members and ADPRylation in gene regulation, mRNA processing, and protein abundance. Future studies in these areas will yield new insights into the fundamental mechanisms and a broader utility for PARP-targeted therapeutic agents.

Abstract Genomic analyses have revealed that many RNA species other than protein-coding mRNAs are transcribed from mammalian genomes and may have profound effects on cellular physiology and pathology. One such class of RNAs are the long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs). In our previous work using Global Run-On and sequencing (GRO-seq), we identified and annotated ~1,900 lncRNAs in MCF-7 human breast cancer cells, which are differentially expressed across the distinct molecular subtypes of breast cancer. Further meta-analysis identified lncRNA152 as a predictor of increased metastasis-free survival. Thus, lncRNA152 levels may serve as a biomarker to track disease progression in breast cancer patients. However, the precise mechanisms by which lncRNA152 regulates these clinical outcomes remain largely unknown. Interestingly, lncRNA152 is highly expressed in the luminal subtypes of breast cancer, but downregulated in triple-negative breast cancers (TNBC), suggesting that lncRNA152 expression may be associated with more aggressive cancer features. Through multiple complementary experimental approaches, we found that (1) FoxA1 regulates lncRNA152 transcription, (2) knockdown of lncRNA152 inhibits the growth, but promotes cell migration and invasion, of luminal breast cancer cell subtypes, and (3) ectopic overexpression of lncRNA152 inhibits TNBC cell growth, migration, and invasion. Importantly, our xenograft studies provide evidence that lncRNA152 inhibits estrogen-dependent tumor growth of luminal and TNBC cells. In addition, transcriptome analysis of TNBC cell-derived xenografts indicates that lncRNA152 expression downregulates many genes that are involved in biological processes such as cell growth, migration, invasion, and angiogenesis. Collectively, these results suggest that lncRNA152 is a novel tumor suppressor in luminal and basal subtype of breast cancer. This work is supported by grants from the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT RP160318/RP190235) to W.L.K. Citation Format: Daeseok Kim. Functional characterization of lncRNA152 in ER+ and triple-negative breast cancers [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2019 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2019 Dec 10-14; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2020;80(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P1-05-06.

PARP inhibitors (PARPi) prevent cancer cell growth by inducing synthetic lethality with DNA repair defects (e.g., in BRCA1/2 mutant cells). We have identified an alternative pathway for PARPi-mediated growth control in BRCA1/2-intact breast cancer cells involving rDNA transcription and ribosome biogenesis. PARP-1 binds to snoRNAs, which stimulate PARP-1 catalytic activity in the nucleolus independent of DNA damage. Activated PARP-1 ADP-ribosylates DDX21, an RNA helicase that localizes to nucleoli and promotes rDNA transcription when ADP-ribosylated. Treatment with PARPi or mutation of the ADP-ribosylation sites reduces DDX21 nucleolar localization, rDNA transcription, ribosome biogenesis, protein translation, and cell growth. The salient features of this pathway are evident in xeno-grafts in mice and human breast cancer patient samples. Elevated levels of PARP-1 and nucleolar DDX21 are associated with cancer-related outcomes. Our studies provide a mechanistic rationale for efficacy of PARPi in cancer cells lacking defects in DNA repair whose growth is inhibited by PARPi.

Poly(ADP-ribosyl)ation (PARylation) is a post-translational modification of proteins mediated by PARP family members, such as PARP-1. Although PARylation has been studied extensively, few examples of definitive biological roles for site-specific PARylation have been reported. Here we show that C/EBPβ, a key pro-adipogenic transcription factor, is PARylated by PARP-1 on three amino acids in a conserved regulatory domain. PARylation at these sites inhibits C/EBPβ's DNA binding and transcriptional activities and attenuates adipogenesis in various genetic and cell-based models. Interestingly, PARP-1 catalytic activity drops precipitously during the first 48 hr of differentiation, corresponding to a release of C/EBPβ from PARylation-mediated inhibition. This promotes the binding of C/EBPβ at enhancers controlling the expression of adipogenic target genes and continued differentiation. Depletion or chemical inhibition of PARP-1, or mutation of the PARylation sites on C/EBPβ, enhances these early adipogenic events. Collectively, our results provide a clear example of how site-specific PARylation drives biological outcomes.

선박 건조 시장의 요구를 맞추기 위하여 신속한 건조의 목표로 노력하고 있는 조선소가 선박 정도관리에 대한 요구가 갈수록 높아지고 있다. 선박 건조 공정에서 생산성의 향상과 생산 주기의 단축을 위하여 선박 부재의 정도평가를 전 주기에서 수행해야 하는 것은 중요하다. 선박의 품질을 높이기 위하여 조선소에서 블록의 정도제어를 수행하는 것은 선박의 건조 주기를 단축할 수 있을 뿐만 아니라 건조 비용도 줄일 수 있다. 선박 블록의 정도를 제어하는 중심은 선박 블록 통합 정도관리 시스템을 만들어야 한다. 이 시스템은 "Non-allowance Shipbuilding"의 목표로 정도관리의 총괄성, 블록 정도의 향상, 정도관리 과정의 표준화 등이 이루어져야 한다. 일반적으로 정도관리를 수행하는 관리자가 광파측정기를 이용하여 선박 블록의 접합면에 있는 주요 포인트(vital point)를 측정하고 수집하지만 무거운 계측장비를 가지고 블록의 정도관리를 수행하는 것은 불편할 뿐만 아니라 시간도 오래 걸린다. 본 논문에서는 선박 블록의 정도관리 시간을 단축할 수 있는 포인트 클라우드 기반으로 3차원 레이저 스캐너를 이용한 선박 블록 탑재 전에 오차예측 방법을 제안하였다. 이 방법은 ICP(iterative closest point) 알고리즘으로 측정된 포인트 클라우드와 설계된 점들의 비교 작업을 수행한 다음에 허용범위 내의 오차를 만족하는 지를 판단한다.With the development of fast construction mode in shipbuilding market, the demand on accuracy management of hull is becoming higher and higher in shipbuilding industry. In order to enhance production efficiency and reduce manufacturing cycle time in shipbuilding industry, it is important for shipyards to have the accuracy of ship components evaluated efficiently during the whole manufacturing cycle time. In accurate shipbuilding process, block accuracy is the key part, which has significant meaning in shortening the period of shipbuilding process, decreasing cost and improving the quality of ship. The key of block accuracy control is to create a integrate block accuracy controlling system, which makes great sense in implementing comprehensive accuracy controlling, increasing block accuracy, standardization of proceeding of accuracy controlling, realizing "zero-defect transferring" and advancing non-allowance shipbuilding. Generally, managers of accuracy control measure the vital points at section surface of block by using the heavy total station, which is inconvenient and time-consuming for measurement of vital points. In this paper, a new measurement method based on point clouds technique has been proposed. This method is to measure the 3D coordinates values of vital points at section surface of block by using 3D scanner, and then compare the measured point with design point based on ICP algorithm which has an allowable error check process that makes sure that whether or not the error between design point and measured point is within the margin of error.

We describe a computational approach that integrates GRO-seq and RNA-seq data to annotate long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs), with increased sensitivity for low-abundance lncRNAs. We used this approach to characterize the lncRNA transcriptome in MCF-7 human breast cancer cells, including >700 previously unannotated lncRNAs. We then used information about the (1) transcription of lncRNA genes from GRO-seq, (2) steady-state levels of lncRNA transcripts in cell lines and patient samples from RNA-seq, and (3) histone modifications and factor binding at lncRNA gene promoters from ChIP-seq to explore lncRNA gene structure and regulation, as well as lncRNA transcript stability, regulation, and function. Functional analysis of selected lncRNAs with altered expression in breast cancers revealed roles in cell proliferation, regulation of an E2F-dependent cell-cycle gene expression program, and estrogen-dependent mitogenic growth. Collectively, our studies demonstrate the use of an integrated genomic and molecular approach to identify and characterize growth-regulating lncRNAs in cancers.

Recently, the importance of safety-monitoring systems was highlighted by the unprecedented collision between a ship and a jetty in Yeosu. Accordingly, in this study, we introduce the concept of risk based area and develop a methodology for a jetty safety-monitoring system. By calculating the risk based areas for a ship and a jetty, the risk of collision was evaluated. To calculate the risk based areas, we employed an automatic identification system for the ship, stopping-distance equations, and the regulation velocity near the jetty. In this paper, we suggest a risk calculation method for jetty safety monitoring that can determine the collision probability in real time and predict collisions using the amount of overlap between the two calculated risk based areas. A test was conducted at a jetty control center at GS Caltex, and the effectiveness of the proposed risk calculation method was verified. The method is currently applied to the jetty-monitoring system at GS Caltex in Yeosu for the prevention of collisions.

ADVERTISEMENT RETURN TO ISSUEPREVReviewNew Facets in the Regulation of Gene Expression by ADP-Ribosylation and Poly(ADP-ribose) PolymerasesKeun Woo Ryu†‡§, Dae-Seok Kim†‡, and W. Lee Kraus*†‡View Author Information† ‡ †Laboratory of Signaling and Gene Regulation, Cecil H. and Ida Green Center for Reproductive Biology Sciences, ‡Division of Basic Research, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, and §Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Program in Genetics and Development, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas 75390, United States*Phone: (214) 648-2388. Fax: (214) 648-0383. E-mail: [email protected]Cite this: Chem. Rev. 2015, 115, 6, 2453–2481Publication Date (Web):January 9, 2015Publication History Received5 August 2014Published online9 January 2015Published inissue 25 March 2015https://doi.org/10.1021/cr5004248Copyright © 2015 American Chemical SocietyRIGHTS & PERMISSIONSACS AuthorChoiceArticle Views5434Altmetric-Citations96LEARN ABOUT THESE METRICSArticle Views are the COUNTER-compliant sum of full text article downloads since November 2008 (both PDF and HTML) across all institutions and individuals. These metrics are regularly updated to reflect usage leading up to the last few days.Citations are the number of other articles citing this article, calculated by Crossref and updated daily. Find more information about Crossref citation counts.The Altmetric Attention Score is a quantitative measure of the attention that a research article has received online. Clicking on the donut icon will load a page at altmetric.com with additional details about the score and the social media presence for the given article. Find more information on the Altmetric Attention Score and how the score is calculated. Share Add toView InAdd Full Text with ReferenceAdd Description ExportRISCitationCitation and abstractCitation and referencesMore Options Share onFacebookTwitterWechatLinked InReddit PDF (9 MB) Get e-AlertsSUBJECTS:Genetics,Peptides and proteins,Physiology,Rodent models,Theoretical and computational chemistry Get e-Alerts

Vision-based AR registration technology is based on finding the known four-points in a camera image. However there are many obstacles and noises in sea environment such as wave, wake, sun-reflection, and so on. Moreover we have to use not only the camera image but also navigational information such as AIS or radar information. This paper describes the process of computer image processing and utilize of AIS information to estimate ship pose and which is to overlap the computer-generated navigational graphical information upon a display device on the bridge.