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Programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1)/programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) cascade is an effective therapeutic target for immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) therapy. Targeting PD-L1/PD-1 axis by small-molecule drug is an attractive approach to enhance antitumor immunity. Using flow cytometry-based assay, we identify tubeimoside-1 (TBM-1) as a promising antitumor immune modulator that negatively regulates PD-L1 level. TBM-1 disrupts PD-1/PD-L1 interaction and enhances the cytotoxicity of T cells toward cancer cells through decreasing the abundance of PD-L1. Furthermore, TBM-1 exerts its antitumor effect in mice bearing Lewis lung carcinoma (LLC) and B16 melanoma tumor xenograft via activating tumor-infiltrating T-cell immunity. Mechanistically, TBM-1 triggers PD-L1 lysosomal degradation in a TFEB-dependent, autophagy-independent pathway. TBM-1 selectively binds to the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) kinase and suppresses the activation of mTORC1, leading to the nuclear translocation of TFEB and lysosome biogenesis. Moreover, the combination of TBM-1 and anti-CTLA-4 effectively enhances antitumor T-cell immunity and reduces immunosuppressive infiltration of myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) and regulatory T (Treg) cells. Our findings reveal a previously unrecognized antitumor mechanism of TBM-1 and represent an alternative ICB therapeutic strategy to enhance the efficacy of cancer immunotherapy., Graphical abstract This study reveals a previously unrecognized antitumor mechanism of tubeimoside-1 and represents an alternative immune checkpoint blockade therapeutic strategy to enhance the efficacy of cancer immunotherapy.Image 1

International audience; The cleavage of the insulin receptor by β-secretase 1 (BACE1) in the liver increases during diabetes, which contributes to reduce insulin receptor levels and impair insulin signaling. However, the precise signaling events that lead to this increased cleavage are unclear. We showed that BACE1 cleaves the insulin receptor in the early secretory pathway. Indeed, coimmunoprecipitation experiments reveal the interaction of the proforms of the two proteins. Moreover, fragments of insulin receptor are detected in the early secretory pathway and a mutated form of BACE1 that retains its prodomain cleaves an early secretory pathway-resident form of the insulin receptor. We showed that BACE1 proform levels are regulated by proteasome and/or lysosome-dependent degradation systems whose efficiencies are dependent on the O-GlcNacylation process. Our results showed that enhanced O-GlcNacylation reduces the efficiency of intracellular protein degradation systems, leading to the accumulation of the proform of BACE1 in the early secretory pathway where it cleaves the precursor of the insulin receptor. All these dysregulations are found in the livers of diabetic mice. In addition, we performed a screen of molecules according to their ability to increase levels of the insulin receptor at the surface of BACE1-overexpressing cells. This approach identified the aminosterol Claramine, which accelerated intracellular trafficking of the proform of BACE1 and increased autophagy. Both of these effects likely contribute to the reduced amount of the proform of BACE1 in the early secretory pathway, thereby reducing insulin receptor cleavage. These newly described properties of Claramine are consistent with its insulin sensitizing effect.

The voltage-gated potassium channel Kv1.5 plays important roles in the repolarization of atrial action potentials and regulation of the vascular tone. While the modulation of Kv1.5 function has been well studied, less is known about how the protein levels of Kv1.5 on the cell membrane are regulated. Here, through electrophysiological and biochemical analyses of Kv1.5 channels heterologously expressed in HEK293 cells and neonatal rat ventricular myocytes, as well as native Kv1.5 in human induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived atrial cardiomyocytes, we found that activation of protein kinase C (PKC) with phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA, 10 nM) diminished Kv1.5 current (IKv1.5) and protein levels of Kv1.5 in the plasma membrane. Mechanistically, PKC activation led to monoubiquitination and degradation of the mature Kv1.5 proteins. Overexpression of Vps24, a protein that sorts transmembrane proteins into lysosomes via the multivesicular body (MVB) pathway, accelerated, whereas the lysosome inhibitor bafilomycin A1 completely prevented PKC-mediated Kv1.5 degradation. Kv1.5, but not Kv1.1, Kv1.2, Kv1.3, or Kv1.4, was uniquely sensitive to PMA treatment. Sequence alignments suggested that residues within the N terminus of Kv1.5 are essential for PKC-mediated Kv1.5 reduction. Using N-terminal truncation as well as site-directed mutagenesis, we identified that Thr15 is the target site for PKC that mediates endocytic degradation of Kv1.5 channels. These findings indicate that alteration of protein levels in the plasma membrane represents an important regulatory mechanism of Kv1.5 channel function under PKC activation conditions.

Autophagy is a catabolic lysosomal degradation process essential for cellular homeostasis and cell survival. Dysfunctional autophagy has been associated with a wide range of human diseases, e.g., cancer and neurodegenerative diseases. A large number of small molecules that modulate autophagy have been widely used to dissect this process and some of them, e.g., chloroquine (CQ), might be ultimately applied to treat a variety of autophagy-associated human diseases. Here we found that vacuolin-1 potently and reversibly inhibited the fusion between autophagosomes and lysosomes in mammalian cells, thereby inducing the accumulation of autophagosomes. Interestingly, vacuolin-1 was less toxic but at least 10-fold more potent in inhibiting autophagy compared with CQ. Vacuolin-1 treatment also blocked the fusion between endosomes and lysosomes, resulting in a defect in general endosomal-lysosomal degradation. Treatment of cells with vacuolin-1 alkalinized lysosomal pH and decreased lysosomal Ca(2+) content. Besides marginally inhibiting vacuolar ATPase activity, vacuolin-1 treatment markedly activated RAB5A GTPase activity. Expression of a dominant negative mutant of RAB5A or RAB5A knockdown significantly inhibited vacuolin-1-induced autophagosome-lysosome fusion blockage, whereas expression of a constitutive active form of RAB5A suppressed autophagosome-lysosome fusion. These data suggest that vacuolin-1 activates RAB5A to block autophagosome-lysosome fusion. Vacuolin-1 and its analogs present a novel class of drug that can potently and reversibly modulate autophagy.

Mitochondrial uncoupling is implicated in many patho(physiological) states. Using confocal live cell imaging and an optical O2 sensing technique, we show that moderate uncoupling of the mitochondria with plecomacrolide Baf (bafilomycin A1) causes partial depolarization of the mitochondria and deep sustained deoxygenation of human colon cancer HCT116 cells subjected to 6% atmospheric O2. A decrease in iO2 (intracellular O2) to 0–10 μM, induced by Baf, is sufficient for stabilization of HIFs (hypoxia inducible factors) HIF-1α and HIF-2α, coupled with an increased expression of target genes including GLUT1 (glucose transporter 1), HIF PHD2 (prolyl hydroxylase domain 2) and CAIX (carbonic anhydrase IX). Under the same hypoxic conditions, treatment with Baf causes neither decrease in iO2 nor HIF-α stabilization in the low-respiring HCT116 cells deficient in COX (cytochrome c-oxidase). Both cell types display equal capacities for HIF-α stabilization by hypoxia mimetics DMOG (dimethyloxalylglycine) and CoCl2, thus suggesting that the effect of Baf under hypoxia is driven mainly by mitochondrial respiration. Altogether, by activating HIF signalling under moderate hypoxia, mitochondrial uncoupling can play an important regulatory role in colon cancer metabolism and modulate adaptation of cancer cells to natural hypoxic environments.

Heavy endosomes were isolated from proximal tubules using a combination of magnesium precipitation and wheat-germ agglutinin negative selection techniques. Two small GTPases (Rab4 and Rab5) known to be specifically present in early endosomes were identified in our preparations. Endosomal acidification was followed fluorimetrically using acridine orange. In presence of chloride ions and ATP, the formation of a proton gradient (delta pH) was observed. This process is due to the activity of an electrogenic V-type ATPase present in the endosomal membrane since specific inhibitors bafilomycin and folimycin effectively prevented or eliminated endosomal acidification. In presence of chloride ions (K(m) = 30 mM) the formation of the proton gradient was optimal. Inhibitors of chloride channel activity such as DIDS and NPPB reduced acidification. The presence of sodium ions stimulated the dissipation of the proton gradient. This effect of sodium was abolished by amiloride derivative (MIA) but only when loaded into endosomes, indicating the presence of a physiologically oriented Na+/H(+)-exchanger in the endosomal membrane. Monensin restored the gradient dissipation. Thus three proteins (V-type ATPase, Cl(-)-channel, Na+/H(+)-exchanger) present in early endosomes isolated from proximal tubules may regulate the formation, maintenance and dissipation of the proton gradient.