Invasiveness underlies cancer aggressiveness and is a hallmark of malignancy. Most malignant tumors have elevated levels of Tn, an O-GalNAc glycan. Mechanisms underlying Tn up-regulation and its effects remain unclear. Here we show that Golgi-to-endoplasmic reticulum relocation of polypeptide N-acetylgalactosamine-transferases (GalNAc-Ts) drives high Tn levels in cancer cell lines and in 70% of malignant breast tumors. This process stimulates cell adhesion to the extracellular matrix, as well as migration and invasiveness. The GalNAc-Ts lectin domain, mediating high-density glycosylation, is critical for these effects. Interfering with the lectin domain function inhibited carcinoma cell migration in vitro and metastatic potential in mice. We also show that stimulation of cell migration is dependent on Tn-bearing proteins present in lamellipodia of migrating cells. Our findings suggest that relocation of GalNAc-Ts to the endoplasmic reticulum frequently occurs upon cancerous transformation to enhance tumor cell migration and invasiveness through modification of cell surface proteins.

Huntington's disease (HD) is an autosomal dominant neurodegenerative disease caused by a CAG trinucleotide expansion in exon 1 of the Huntingtin (Htt) gene. We show herein that in an HD transgenic mouse model (R6/2), daily administration of CGS21680 (CGS), an A 2A adenosine receptor (A 2A -R)-selective agonist, delayed the progressive deterioration of motor performance and prevented a reduction in brain weight. 3D-lMRI analysis revealed that CGS reversed the enlarged ventricle-to-brain ratio of R6/2 mice, with particular improvements in the left and right ventricles. 1 H-MRS showed that CGS significantly reduced the increased choline levels in the striatum. Immunohistochemical analyses further demonstrated that CGS reduced the size of ubiquitin-positive neuronal intranuclear inclusions (NIIs) in the striatum of R6/2 mice and ameliorated mutant Htt aggregation in a striatal progenitor cell line overexpressing mutant Htt with expanded polyQ. Moreover, chronic CGS treatment normalized the elevated blood glucose levels and reduced the overactivation of a major metabolic sensor [5¢AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK)] in the striatum of R6/2 mice. Since AMPK is a master switch for energy metabolism, modulation of energy dysfunction caused by the mutant Htt might contribute to the beneficial effects of CGS. Collectively, CGS is a potential drug candidate for the treatment of HD.

The small GTPase Arf1 plays critical roles in membrane traffic by initiating the recruitment of coat proteins and by modulating the activity of lipid-modifying enzymes. Here, we report an unexpected but evolutionarily conserved role for Arf1 and the ArfGEF GBF1 at mitochondria. Loss of function of ARF-1 or GBF-1 impaired mitochondrial morphology and activity in Caenorhabditis elegans. Similarly, mitochondrial defects were observed in mammalian and yeast cells. In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, aberrant clusters of the mitofusin Fzo1 accumulated in arf1-11 mutants and were resolved by overexpression of Cdc48, an AAA-ATPase involved in ER and mitochondria-associated degradation processes. Yeast Arf1 co-fractionated with ER and mitochondrial membranes and interacted genetically with the contact site component Gem1. Furthermore, similar mitochondrial abnormalities resulted from knockdown of either GBF-1 or contact site components in worms, suggesting that the role of Arf1 in mitochondrial functioning is linked to ER-mitochondrial contacts. Thus, Arf1 is involved in mitochondrial homeostasis and dynamics, independent of its role in vesicular traffic.

Protein toxins such as Ricin and Pseudomonas exotoxin (PE) pose major public health challenges. Both toxins depend on host cell machinery for internalization, retrograde trafficking from endosomes to the ER, and translocation to cytosol. Although both toxins follow a similar intracellular route, it is unknown how much they rely on the same genes. Here we conducted two genome-wide RNAi screens identifying genes required for intoxication and demonstrating that requirements are strikingly different between PE and Ricin, with only 13% overlap. Yet factors required by both toxins are present from the endosomes to the ER, and, at the morphological level, the toxins colocalize in multiple structures. Interestingly, Ricin, but not PE, depends on Golgi complex integrity and colocalizes significantly with a medial Golgi marker. Our data are consistent with two intertwined pathways converging and diverging at multiple points and reveal the complexity of retrograde membrane trafficking in mammalian cells.