Faculty Bibliography

Wolfram syndrome is a rare multisystem disease characterized by childhood-onset diabetes mellitus and progressive neurodegeneration. Most cases are attributed to pathogenic variants in a single gene, Wolfram syndrome 1 (WFS1). There currently is no disease-modifying treatment for Wolfram syndrome, as the molecular consequences of the loss of WFS1 remain elusive. Because diabetes mellitus is the first diagnosed symptom of Wolfram syndrome, we aimed to further examine the functions of WFS1 in pancreatic β cells in the context of hyperglycemia. Knockout (KO) of WFS1 in rat insulinoma (INS1) cells impaired calcium homeostasis and protein kinase B/Akt signaling and, subsequently, decreased cell viability and glucose-stimulated insulin secretion. Targeting calcium homeostasis with reexpression of WFS1, overexpression of WFS1's interacting partner neuronal calcium sensor-1 (NCS1), or treatment with calpain inhibitor and ibudilast reversed deficits observed in WFS1-KO cells. Collectively, our findings provide insight into the disease mechanism of Wolfram syndrome and highlight new targets and drug candidates to facilitate the development of a treatment for this disorder and similar diseases.

Chemotherapy is a life-saving treatment for cancer patients, but also causes long-term cognitive impairment, or "chemobrain", in survivors. However, several challenges, including imprecise diagnosis criteria, multiple confounding factors, and unclear and heterogeneous molecular mechanisms, impede effective investigation of preventions and treatments for chemobrain. With the rapid increase in the number of cancer survivors, chemobrain is an urgent but unmet clinical need. Here, we leverage the extensive knowledge in various fields of neuroscience to gain insights into the mechanisms for chemobrain. We start by outlining why the post-mitotic adult brain is particularly vulnerable to chemotherapy. Next, through drawing comparisons with normal aging, Alzheimer's disease, and traumatic brain injury, we identify universal cellular mechanisms that may underlie the cognitive deficits in chemobrain. We further identify existing neurological drugs targeting these cellular mechanisms that can be repurposed as treatments for chemobrain, some of which were already shown to be effective in animal models. Finally, we briefly describe future steps to further advance our understanding of chemobrain and facilitate the development of effective preventions and treatments.

Engineered heart tissues (EHTs) have emerged as a robust in vitro model to study cardiac physiology. Although biomimetic culture environments have been developed to better approximate in vivo conditions, currently available methods do not permit full recapitulation of the four phases of the cardiac cycle. We have developed a bioreactor which allows EHTs to undergo cyclic loading sequences that mimic in vivo work loops. EHTs cultured under these working conditions exhibited enhanced concentric contractions but similar isometric contractions compared with EHTs cultured isometrically. EHTs that were allowed to shorten cyclically in culture had increased capacity for contractile work when tested acutely. Increased work production was correlated with higher levels of mitochondrial proteins and mitochondrial biogenesis; this effect was eliminated when tissues were cyclically shortened in the presence of a myosin ATPase inhibitor. Leveraging our novel in vitro method to precisely apply mechanical loads in culture, we grew EHTs under two loading regimes prescribing the same work output but with different associated afterloads. These groups showed no difference in mitochondrial protein expression. In loading regimes with the same afterload but different work output, tissues subjected to higher work demand exhibited elevated levels of mitochondrial protein. Our findings suggest that regulation of mitochondrial mass in cultured human EHTs is potently modulated by the mechanical work the tissue is permitted to perform in culture, presumably communicated through ATP demand. Precise application of mechanical loads to engineered heart tissues in culture represents a novel in vitro method for studying physiological and pathological cardiac adaptation.NEW & NOTEWORTHY In this work, we present a novel bioreactor that allows for active length control of engineered heart tissues during extended tissue culture. Specific length transients were designed so that engineered heart tissues generated complete cardiac work loops. Chronic culture with various work loops suggests that mitochondrial mass and biogenesis are directly regulated by work output.

Changes in intracellular calcium (Ca²⁺ ) signaling can modulate cellular machinery required for cancer progression. Neuronal calcium sensor 1 (NCS1) is a ubiquitously expressed Ca²⁺ -binding protein that promotes tumor aggressiveness by enhancing cell survival and metastasis. However, the underlying mechanism by which NCS1 contributes to increased tumor aggressiveness has yet to be identified. In this study, we aimed to determine (a) whether NCS1 expression changes in response to external stimuli, (b) the importance of NCS1 for cell survival and migration, and (c) the cellular mechanism(s) through which NSC1 modulates these outcomes. We found that NCS1 abundance increases under conditions of stress, most prominently after stimulation with the pro-inflammatory cytokine tumor necrosis factor α, in a manner dependent on nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells (NFκB). We found that NFκB signaling is activated in human breast cancer tissue, which was accompanied by an increase in NCS1 mRNA expression. Further exploration into the relevance of NCS1 in breast cancer progression showed that knockout of NCS1 (NCS1 KO) caused decreased cell survival and motility, increased baseline intracellular Ca²⁺ levels, and decreased inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate-mediated Ca²⁺ responses. Protein kinase B (Akt) activity was decreased in NCS1 KO cells, which could be rescued by buffering intracellular Ca²⁺ . Conversely, Akt activity was increased in cells overexpressing NCS1 (NCS1 OE). We therefore conclude that NCS1 acts as cellular stress response protein up-regulated by stress-induced NFκB signaling and that NCS1 influences cell survival and motility through effects on Ca²⁺ signaling and Akt pathway activation.

Although it is well-established that reductions in the ratio of insulin to glucagon in the portal vein have a major role in the dysregulation of hepatic glucose metabolism in type-2 diabetes^1-3, the mechanisms by which glucagon affects hepatic glucose production and mitochondrial oxidation are poorly understood. Here we show that glucagon stimulates hepatic gluconeogenesis by increasing the activity of hepatic adipose triglyceride lipase, intrahepatic lipolysis, hepatic acetyl-CoA content and pyruvate carboxylase flux, while also increasing mitochondrial fat oxidation-all of which are mediated by stimulation of the inositol triphosphate receptor 1 (INSP3R1). In rats and mice, chronic physiological increases in plasma glucagon concentrations increased mitochondrial oxidation of fat in the liver and reversed diet-induced hepatic steatosis and insulin resistance. However, these effects of chronic glucagon treatment-reversing hepatic steatosis and glucose intolerance-were abrogated in Insp3r1 (also known as Itpr1)-knockout mice. These results provide insights into glucagon biology and suggest that INSP3R1 may represent a target for therapies that aim to reverse nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and type-2 diabetes.

Polycystin 2 (PC2) is one of two main protein types responsible for the underlying etiology of autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD), the most prevalent monogenic renal disease in the world. This debilitating and currently incurable condition is caused by loss-of-function mutations in PKD2 and PKD1, the genes encoding for PC2 and Polycystin 1 (PC1), respectively. Two-hit mutation events in these genes lead to renal cyst formation and eventual kidney failure, the main hallmarks of ADPKD. Though much is known concerning the physiological consequences and dysfunctional signaling mechanisms resulting from ADPKD development, to best understand the requirement of PC2 in maintaining organ homeostasis, it is important to recognize how PC2 acts under normal conditions. As such, an array of work has been performed characterizing the endogenous function of PC2, revealing it to be a member of the transient receptor potential (TRP) channel family of proteins. As a TRP protein, PC2 is a nonselective, cation-permeant, calcium-sensitive channel expressed in all tissue types, where it localizes primarily on the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), primary cilia, and plasma membrane. In addition to its channel function, PC2 interacts with and acts as a regulator of a number of other channels, ultimately further affecting intracellular signaling and leading to dysfunction in its absence. In this review, we describe the biophysical and physiological properties of PC2 as a cation channel and modulator of intracellular calcium channels, along with how these properties are altered in ADPKD.

Polycystin 2 (PC2 or TRPP1, formerly TRPP2) is a calcium-permeant Transient Receptor Potential (TRP) cation channel expressed primarily on the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) membrane and primary cilia of all cell and tissue types. Despite its ubiquitous expression throughout the body, studies of PC2 have focused primarily on its role in the kidney, as mutations in PC2 lead to the development of autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD), a debilitating condition for which there is no cure. However, the endogenous role that PC2 plays in the regulation of general cellular homeostasis remains unclear. In this study, we measure how PC2 expression changes in different pathological states, determine that its abundance is increased under conditions of cellular stress in multiple tissues including human disease, and conclude that PC2-deficient cells have increased susceptibility to cell death induced by stress. Our results offer new insight into the normal function of PC2 as a ubiquitous stress-sensitive protein whose expression is up-regulated in response to cell stress to protect against pathological cell death in multiple diseases.

Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) is an adverse effect of chemotherapy that is frequently experienced by patients receiving treatment for cancer. CIPN is caused by many of the most commonly used chemotherapeutic agents, including taxanes, vinca alkaloids, and bortezomib. Pain and sensory abnormalities may persist for months, or even years after the cessation of chemotherapy. The management of CIPN is a significant challenge, as it is not possible to predict which patients will develop symptoms, the timing for the appearance of symptoms can develop anytime during the chemotherapy course, there are no early indications that warrant a reduction in the dosage to halt CIPN progression, and there are no drugs approved to prevent or alleviate CIPN. This review focuses on the etiology of CIPN and will highlight the various approaches developed for prevention and treatment. The goal is to guide studies to identify, test, and standardize approaches for managing CIPN.

Inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate receptors (InsP3Rs) are endoplasmic reticulum-localized channels that mediate Ca²⁺ release from the endoplasmic reticulum into the cytoplasm. We previously reported that an EF-hand Ca²⁺-binding protein, neuronal calcium sensor 1 (NCS1), binds to the InsP3R and thereby increases channel open probability, an event associated with chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy. However, the exact NCS1-binding site on InsP3R remains unknown. Using protein docking, co-immunoprecipitation, and blocking peptides, we mapped the NCS1-binding site to residues 66-110 on the suppressor domain of InsP3R type 1 (InsP3R1). We also identified Leu-89, a residue in the hydrophobic pocket of NCS1, as being critical for facilitating the NCS1-InsP3R1 interaction. Overexpression of WT NCS1 in MDA-MB231 breast cancer cells increased Ca²⁺ signaling and survival, whereas overexpression of Leu-89 NCS1 variants decreased Ca²⁺ signaling and survival, further suggesting the importance of this residue in the NCS1-InsP3R1 interaction. In conclusion, we show that NCS1-InsP3R1 interaction enhances intracellular Ca²⁺ signaling in cells and can be modulated by altering or occluding the hydrophobic pocket of NCS1. This improved understanding of the NCS1-InsP3R1 interaction may facilitate the development of management strategies for diseases resulting from aberrant NCS1 expression.

Worldwide, over a billion people suffer from chronic liver diseases, which often lead to fibrosis and then cirrhosis. Treatments for fibrosis remain experimental, in part because no unifying mechanism has been identified that initiates liver fibrosis. Necroptosis has been implicated in multiple liver diseases. Here, we report that O-linked β-N-acetylglucosamine (O-GlcNAc) modification protects against hepatocyte necroptosis and initiation of liver fibrosis. Decreased O-GlcNAc levels were seen in patients with alcoholic liver cirrhosis and in mice with ethanol-induced liver injury. Liver-specific O-GlcNAc transferase-KO (OGT-LKO) mice exhibited hepatomegaly and ballooning degeneration at an early age and progressed to liver fibrosis and portal inflammation by 10 weeks of age. OGT-deficient hepatocytes underwent excessive necroptosis and exhibited elevated protein expression levels of receptor-interacting protein kinase 3 (RIPK3) and mixed lineage kinase domain-like (MLKL), which are key mediators of necroptosis. Furthermore, glycosylation of RIPK3 by OGT is associated with reduced RIPK3 protein stability. Taken together, these findings identify OGT as a key suppressor of hepatocyte necroptosis, and OGT-LKO mice may serve as an effective spontaneous genetic model of liver fibrosis.