Increased transcriptional activity of ␤-catenin resulting from Wnt/Wingless-dependent or -independent signaling has been detected in many types of human cancer, but the underlying mechanism of Wnt-independent regulation is poorly understood. We have demonstrated that AKT, which is activated downstream from epidermal growth factor receptor signaling, phosphorylates ␤-catenin at Ser 552 in vitro and in vivo. AKTmediated phosphorylation of ␤-catenin causes its disassociation from cell-cell contacts and accumulation in both the cytosol and the nucleus and enhances its interaction with 14-3-3 via a binding motif containing Ser 552 . Phosphorylation of ␤-catenin by AKT increases its transcriptional activity and promotes tumor cell invasion, indicating that AKT-dependent regulation of ␤-catenin plays a critical role in tumor invasion and development.

Recent evidence suggests that several deubiquitinases (DUB) are overexpressed or activated in tumor cells and many contribute to the transformed phenotype. Agents with DUB inhibitory activity may therefore have therapeutic value. In this study, we describe the mechanism of action of WP1130, a small molecule derived from a compound with Janus-activated kinase 2 (JAK2) kinase inhibitory activity. WP1130 induces rapid accumulation of polyubiquitinated (K48/K63-linked) proteins into juxtanuclear aggresomes, without affecting 20S proteasome activity. WP1130 acts as a partly selective DUB inhibitor, directly inhibiting DUB activity of USP9x, USP5, USP14, and UCH37, which are known to regulate survival protein stability and 26S proteasome function. WP1130-mediated inhibition of tumor-activated DUBs results in downregulation of antiapoptotic and upregulation of proapoptotic proteins, such as MCL-1 and p53. Our results show that chemical modification of a previously described JAK2 inhibitor results in the unexpected discovery of a novel DUB inhibitor with a unique antitumor mechanism. Cancer Res; 70(22); 9265-76. ©2010 AACR.

SUMMARY Increased transcriptional activity of β-catenin resulting from Wnt/Wingless-dependent or - independent signaling has been detected in many types of human cancer, but the underlying mechanism of Wnt-independent regulation remains unclear. We demonstrate here that EGFR activation results in disruption of the complex of β-catenin and α-catenin, thereby abrogating the inhibitory effect of α-catenin on β-catenin transactivation via CK2α-dependent phosphorylation of α-catenin at Ser641. ERK2, which is activated by EGFR signaling, directly binds to CK2α via the ERK2 docking groove and phosphorylates CK2α primarily at Thr360/Ser362, subsequently enhancing CK2α activity toward α-catenin phosphorylation. In addition, levels of α-catenin S641 phosphorylation correlate with levels of ERK1/2 activity in human glioblastoma specimens and with grades of glioma malignancy. This EGFR-ERK-CK2–mediated phosphorylation of α-catenin promotes β-catenin transactivation and tumor cell invasion. These findings highlight the importance of the crosstalk between EGFR and Wnt pathways in tumor development.

Control of inflammation is critical for therapy of infectious diseases. Pathogen-associated and/or danger-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs and DAMPs, respectively) are the two major inducers of inflammation. Because the CD24-Siglec G/10 interactions selectively repress inflammatory response to DAMPs, microbial disruption of the negative regulation would provide a general mechanism to exacerbate inflammation. Here we show that the sialic acid-based pattern recognitions of CD24 by Siglec G/10 are targeted by sialidases in polybacterial sepsis. Sialidase inhibitors protect mice against sepsis by a CD24-Siglecg-dependent mechanism, whereas a targeted mutation of either CD24 or Siglecg exacerbates sepsis. Bacterial sialidase and host CD24 and Siglecg genes interact to determine pathogen virulence. Our data demonstrate a critical role for disrupting sialic acid-based pattern recognitions in microbial virulence and suggest a therapeutic approach to dampen harmful inflammatory response during infection.

IntroductionChronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) is associated with a chromosomal abnormality in the hematopoietic stem cell that results in the expression of Bcr-Abl with unregulated tyrosine kinase activity. 1 These observations supported the development and clinical testing of the first Bcr-Abl kinase inhibitor, imatinib, which demonstrated remarkable clinical efficacy in CML patients. Imatinib is the frontline therapy for CML and other Bcr-Ablexpressing leukemias, and most patients treated with imatinib in the chronic phase achieve a complete cytogenetic response. 2,3 However, molecular studies of imatinib-treated patients in remission demonstrated that Bcr-Abl expression is still detectable in most cases, and discontinuation of imatinib therapy often results in disease relapse. 4,5 Limited duration of imatinib response is also common in advanced CML patients, and imatinib resistance can occur at any stage of the disease. 5,6 Acquired imatinib resistance and disease progression are frequently characterized by Bcr-Abl mutations and posttranslational modifications that affect imatinib binding and kinase inhibition. 5,6 Some of the molecular changes in imatinib-resistant disease can be overcome with second-generation tyrosine kinase inhibitors, which bind Bcr-Abl with higher affinity or inhibit imatinib-insensitive kinases associated with resistance. [7][8][9][10][11] However, the activity of these inhibitors can also be limited by mutations and other mechanisms. [12][13][14] These observations suggest that additional approaches and targeting strategies may be needed to provide long-term effective treatment for CML patients.Kinase inhibition by small molecules that bind the ATP or the switch pocket region of Bcr-Abl are effective inhibitors but require continuous treatment because Bcr-Abl protein levels themselves are not directly regulated through kinase inhibition. Some evidence suggests that Bcr-Abl can function as a protein scaffold to organize signaling complexes that are not fully dependent on kinase activity. 15,16 These observations suggest that compounds that modulate Bcr-Abl protein levels may be more effective and appropriate for CML therapy in some settings. In light of that possibility and as a novel approach to overcoming kinase inhibitor resistance, several compounds have been described that affect Bcr-Abl function through mechanisms other than direct kinase inhibition. These include heat shock protein 90 (Hsp90) inhibitors, arsenic trioxide, homoharringtonine, histone deacetylase inhibitors, proteasome inhibitors, PP2A activators, and others. 5,10 All are reported to lead to CML cell death through down-regulation of Bcr-Abl expression or a loss of Bcr-Abl stability. However, most of these compounds reduce Bcr-Abl levels only after extended incubation intervals and display only limited selectivity for Bcr-Abl, which may increase their toxicity and decrease their clinical utility. [17][18][19] Additional compounds that induce rapid changes in Bcr-Abl levels with limited impact on other proteins are ...