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Summary Human CD4+CD25hiFOXP3+ regulatory T (Treg) cells are key players in the control of immunological self-tolerance and homeostasis. Here, we report that signals of pseudo-starvation reversed human Treg cell in vitro anergy through an integrated transcriptional response, pertaining to proliferation, metabolism, and transmembrane solute carrier transport. At the molecular level, the Treg cell proliferative response was dependent on the induction of the cystine/glutamate antiporter solute carrier (SLC)7A11, whose expression was controlled by the nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (NRF2). SLC7A11 induction in Treg cells was impaired in subjects with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), an autoimmune disorder associated with reduced Treg cell proliferative capacity. Treatment of RRMS subjects with dimethyl fumarate (DMF) rescued SLC7A11 induction and fully recovered Treg cell expansion. These results suggest a previously unrecognized mechanism that may account for the progressive loss of Treg cells in autoimmunity and unveil SLC7A11 as major target for the rescue of Treg cell proliferation.

Along with the increase in life expectancy over the last century, the prevalence of age-related disorders, such as neurodegenerative diseases continues to rise. This is the case of Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, Huntington's diseases and Multiple sclerosis, which are chronic disorders characterized by neuronal loss in motor, sensory or cognitive systems. Accumulating evidence has suggested the presence of a strong correlation between metabolic changes and neurodegeneration. Indeed epidemiologic studies have shown strong associations between obesity, metabolic dysfunction, and neurodegeneration, while animal models have provided insights into the complex relationships between these conditions. In this context, hormones such as leptin, ghrelin, insulin and IGF-1 seem to play a key role in the regulation of neuronal damage, toxic insults and several other neurodegenerative processes. This review aims to presenting the most recent evidence supporting the crosstalk linking energy metabolism and neurodegeneration, and will focus on metabolic manipulation as a possible therapeutic tool in the prevention and treatment of neurodegenerative diseases.

Administration of mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) ameliorate experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), a mouse model of multiple sclerosis (MS), at both clinical and neuropathological levels. The therapeutic properties of MSC in EAE are mainly mediated by the modulation of pathogenic immune response, but other neurotropic effects, including decreased demyelination and axonal loss as well as promotion of tissue repair, play also a role. Properly controlled phase II clinical trials to explore the potential of MSC transplantation as a treatment for MS are underway. Interferon beta (IFNβ) is an approved treatment for relapsing-remitting and secondary progressive MS. Here, we explored the possibility that IFNβ might influence the therapeutic potential of MSC, in view of possible synergistic effects as add-on therapy. IFNβ enhanced the immunomodulatory functions of MSC and induced the expression of secretory leukocyte protease inhibitor (Slpi) and hepatocyte growth factor (Hgf), two soluble mediators involved in immune and regenerative functions of MSC. At molecular level, IFNβ induced a rapid and transient phosphorylation of STAT1 and STAT3, the transcription factors responsible for Slpi and Hgf induction. Concomitantly, IFNβ dynamically affected the activity of mTOR, a key checkpoint in the control of metabolic pathways. Indeed, the impairment of mTOR activity observed early upon exposure to IFNβ, was followed by a long-lasting induction of mTOR signaling, that was associated with an increased glycolytic capacity in MSC. When induced to switch their energetic metabolism towards glycolysis, MSC showed an improved ability to control T-cell proliferation. These results suggest that modifications of MSC energetic metabolism induced by IFNβ may contribute to promote MSC immunomodulatory function and support a role for metabolic pathways in the therapeutic function of MSC. Altogether, these findings support the idea of a combined treatment for MS, in which the immunomodulatory and possibly regenerative activity of MSC could be enhanced by the administration of IFNβ.

Acute administration of a high level of extracellular citrate displays an anti-proliferative effect on both in vitro and in vivo models. However, the long-term effect of citrate treatment has not been investigated yet. Here, we address this question in PC3 cells, a prostate-cancer-derived cell line. Acute administration of high levels of extracellular citrate impaired cell adhesion and inhibited the proliferation of PC3 cells, but surviving cells adapted to grow in the chronic presence of 20 mM citrate. Citrate-resistant PC3 cells are significantly less glycolytic than control cells. Moreover, they overexpress short-form, citrate-insensitive phosphofructokinase 1 (PFK1) together with full-length PFK1. In addition, they show traits of mesenchymal-epithelial transition: an increase in E-cadherin and a decrease in vimentin. In comparison with PC3 cells, citrate-resistant cells display morphological changes that involve both microtubule and microfilament organization. This was accompanied by changes in homeostasis and the organization of intracellular organelles. Thus, the mitochondrial network appears fragmented, the Golgi complex is scattered, and the lysosomal compartment is enlarged. Interestingly, citrate-resistant cells produce less total ROS but accumulate more mitochondrial ROS than control cells. Consistently, in citrate-resistant cells, the autophagic pathway is upregulated, possibly sustaining their survival. In conclusion, chronic administration of citrate might select resistant cells, which could jeopardize the benefits of citrate anticancer treatment.

Senescence is a stress-responsive cellular program that leads to cell cycle arrest . In cancer cells, senescence has profound implications for tumor aggressiveness and clinical outcome, but the molecular events that provoke cancer cells to undergo senescence remain unclear. Herein, we provide evidence that the histone demethylase LSD1/KDM1A supports the growth of Glioblastoma tumor cells and its inhibition triggers senescence response. LSD1 is a histone modifier that participates in key aspects of gene transcription as well as in the regulation of methylation dynamics of non-histone proteins. We found that down-regulation of LSD1 inhibits Glioblastoma cell growth, impairs mTOR pathway and cell migration and induces senescence. At mechanistic level, we found that LSD1 regulates HIF-1α protein stability. Pharmacological inhibition or siRNA-mediated silencing of LSD1 expression effectively reduces HIF-1α protein levels, which suffices for the induction of senescence. Our findings elucidate a mechanism whereby LSD1 controls senescence in Glioblastoma tumor cells through the regulation of HIF-1α, and we propose the novel defined LSD1/HIF-1α axis as a new target for the therapy of Glioblastoma tumors.

International audience; The tumor microenvironment restrains conventional T cell (Tconv) activation while facilitating the expansion of Tregs. Here we showed that Tregs' advantage in the tumor milieu relies on supplemental energetic routes involving lipid metabolism. In murine models, tumor-infiltrating Tregs displayed intracellular lipid accumulation, which was attributable to an increased rate of fatty acid (FA) synthesis. Since the relative advantage in glucose uptake may fuel FA synthesis in intratumoral Tregs, we demonstrated that both glycolytic and oxidative metabolism contribute to Tregs' expansion. We corroborated our data in human tumors showing that Tregs displayed a gene signature oriented toward glycolysis and lipid synthesis. Our data support a model in which signals from the tumor microenvironment induce a circuitry of glycolysis, FA synthesis, and oxidation that confers a preferential proliferative advantage to Tregs, whose targeting might represent a strategy for cancer treatment.

Alterations in mitochondrial activity and morphology have been demonstrated in human cells and tissues from individuals with Down syndrome (DS), as well as in DS mouse models. An impaired activity of the transcriptional coactivator PGC-1α/PPARGC1A due to the overexpression of chromosome 21 genes, such as NRIP1/RIP140, has emerged as an underlying cause of mitochondrial dysfunction in DS. We tested the hypothesis that the activation of the PGC-1α pathway might indeed reverse this mitochondrial dysfunction. To this end, we investigated the effects of metformin, a PGC-1α-activating drug, on mitochondrial morphology and function in DS foetal fibroblasts. Metformin induced both the expression of PGC-1α and an augmentation of its activity, as demonstrated by the increased expression of target genes, strongly promoting mitochondrial biogenesis. Furthermore, metformin enhanced oxygen consumption, ATP production, and overall mitochondrial activity. Most interestingly, this treatment reversed the fragmentation of mitochondria observed in DS and induced the formation of a mitochondrial network with a branched and elongated tubular morphology. Concomitantly, cristae remodelling occurred and the alterations observed by electron microscopy were significantly reduced. We finally demonstrated that the expression of genes of the fission/fusion machinery, namely OPA1 and MFN2, was reduced in trisomic cells and increased by metformin treatment. These results indicate that metformin promotes the formation of a mitochondrial network and corrects the mitochondrial dysfunction in DS cells. We speculate that alterations in the mitochondrial dynamics can be relevant in the pathogenesis of DS and that metformin can efficiently counteract these alterations, thus exerting protective effects against DS-associated pathologies.

Resveratrol, a dietary polyphenol, is under consideration as chemopreventive and chemotherapeutic agent for several diseases, including cancer. However, its mechanisms of action and its effects on non-tumor cells, fundamental to understand its real efficacy as chemopreventive agent, remain largely unknown. Proline-rich tyrosine kinase 2 (PYK2), a non-receptor tyrosine kinase acting as signaling mediator of different stimuli, behaves as tumor-suppressor in prostate. Since, PYK2 and RSV share several fields of interaction, including oxidative stress, we have investigated their functional relationship in human non-transformed prostate EPN cells and in their tumor-prone counterpart EPN-PKM, expressing a PYK2 dead-kinase mutant. We show that RSV has a strong biological activity in both cell lines, decreasing ROS production, inducing morphological changes and reversible growth arrest, and activating autophagy but not apoptosis. Interestingly, the PYK2 mutant increases basal ROS and autophagy levels, and modulates the intensity of RSV effects. In particular, the anti-oxidant effect of RSV is more potent in EPN than in EPN-PKM, whereas its anti-proliferative and pro-autophagic effects are more significant in EPN-PKM. Consistently, PYK2 depletion by RNAi replicates the effects of the PKM mutant. Taken together, our results reveal that PYK2 and RSV act on common cellular pathways and suggest that RSV effects on prostate cells may depend on mutational-state or expression levels of PYK2 that emerges as a possible mediator of RSV mechanisms of action. Moreover, the observation that resveratrol effects are reversible and not associated to apoptosis in tumor-prone EPN-PKM cells suggests caution for its use in humans.

Melanoma often exploits Treg to avoid immune attack. Treg is a heterogeneous population with respect to immunosuppressive capability. Lymphocytes are particularly rich in FKBP51 (encoded by FKBP5 gene), known as the receptor for FK506. Melanoma aberrantly expresses this protein, which sustains resistance and invasion. Melanoma/immune cell interaction, through PD-L1/PD1, bidirectionally generates FKBP5 splicing inducing a lower molecular weight form termed FKBP51s. In 64 advanced melanoma patient PBMCs, we found that FKBP51s marked a Treg subset that correlated to anti-CTLA4 response. More precisely, a Treg FKBP51s+ count 1.2 and 0.04 and Citation Format: Teresa Troiani, Simona Romano, Paolo D'Arrigo, Anna Rea, Martina Tufano, Emilio F. Giunta, Giuseppe Matarrese, Claudio Procaccini, Nunzia Novizio, Vincenza Vigorito, Deriggio Faicchia, Giuseppe Argenziano, Fortunato Ciardiello, Maria F. Romano. Identification of a highly suppressive Treg subset associated with immunotherapy response [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2018; 2018 Apr 14-18; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2018;78(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 5712.

Summary Human CD4+CD25hiFoxp3+CD127− Treg and CD4+CD25−Foxp3− Tconv cell functions are governed by their metabolic requirements. Here we report a comprehensive comparative analysis between ex vivo human Treg and Tconv cells that comprises analyses of the proteomic networks in subcellular compartments. We identified a dominant proteomic signature at the metabolic level that primarily impacted the highly-tuned balance between glucose and fatty-acid oxidation in the two cell types. Ex vivo Treg cells were highly glycolytic while Tconv cells used predominantly fatty-acid oxidation (FAO). When cultured in vitro, Treg cells engaged both glycolysis and FAO to proliferate, while Tconv cell proliferation mainly relied on glucose metabolism. Our unbiased proteomic analysis provides a molecular picture of the impact of metabolism on ex vivo human Treg versus Tconv cell functions that might be relevant for therapeutic manipulations of these cells., Graphical Abstract, Highlights • Ex vivo human Treg cells are highly glycolytic and proliferating • Ex vivo human Tconv cells use fatty-acid oxidation (FAO) and are non-proliferating • In vitro proliferation of human Treg cells requires both glycolysis and FAO • In vitro proliferation of human Tconv cells relies mainly on glycolysis, The proteomic signature of human Treg and Tconv cells and their functional specialization is poorly understood. Matarese and colleagues identified metabolic pathway signatures that suggest a highly-tuned balance between glucose and fatty-acid oxidation impacting functions of in vitro versus ex vivo human Treg and Tconv cells.