Cancers disrupt host homeostasis in various manners but the identity of host factors underlying such disruption remains largely unknown. Here we show that nicotinamide-N-methyltransferase (NNMT) is a host factor that mediates metabolic dysfunction in the livers of cancer-bearing mice. Multiple solid cancers distantly increase expression of Nnmt and its product 1-methylnicotinamide (MNAM) in the liver. Multi-omics analyses reveal suppression of the urea cycle accompanied by accumulation of amino acids, and enhancement of uracil biogenesis in the livers of cancer-bearing mice. Importantly, genetic deletion of Nnmt leads to alleviation of these metabolic abnormalities, and buffers cancer-dependent weight loss and reduction of the voluntary wheel-running activity. Our data also demonstrate that MNAM is capable of affecting urea cycle metabolites in the liver. These results suggest that cancers up-regulate the hepatic NNMT pathway to rewire liver metabolism towards uracil biogenesis rather than nitrogen disposal via the urea cycle, thereby disrupting host homeostasis.

Regulatory mechanisms for tissue repair and regeneration within damaged tissue have been extensively studied. However, the systemic regulation of tissue repair remains poorly understood. To elucidate tissue nonautonomous control of repair process, it is essential to induce local damage, independent of genetic manipulations in uninjured parts of the body. Herein, we develop a system in Drosophila for spatiotemporal tissue injury using a temperature-sensitive form of diphtheria toxin A domain driven by the Q system to study factors contributing to imaginal disc repair. Using this technique, we demonstrate that methionine metabolism in the fat body, a counterpart of mammalian liver and adipose tissue, supports the repair processes of wing discs. Local injury to wing discs decreases methionine and S-adenosylmethionine, whereas it increases S-adenosylhomocysteine in the fat body. Fat body-specific genetic manipulation of methionine metabolism results in defective disc repair but does not affect normal wing development. Our data indicate the contribution of tissue interactions to tissue repair in Drosophila, as local damage to wing discs influences fat body metabolism, and proper control of methionine metabolism in the fat body, in turn, affects wing regeneration.

BackgroundGenetic ablation of target cells is a powerful tool to study the origins and functions of cells, tissue regeneration, or pathophysiology in a human disease model in vivo. Several methods for selective cell ablation by inducing apoptosis have been established, using exogenous toxins or endogenous proapoptotic genes. However, their application is limited to cells with intact apoptotic machinery.ResultsHerein, we established a method for inducing rapid and selective cell necrosis by the pore-forming bacterial toxin Cry1Aa, which is specifically active in cells expressing the Cry1Aa receptor (CryR) derived from the silkworm Bombyx mori. We demonstrated that overexpressing CryR in Drosophila melanogaster tissues induced rapid cell death of CryR-expressing cells only, in the presence of Cry1Aa toxin. Cry/CryR system was effective against both proliferating cells in imaginal discs and polyploid postmitotic cells in the fat body. Live imaging analysis of cell ablation revealed swelling and subsequent osmotic lysis of CryR-positive cells after 30 min of incubation with Cry1Aa toxin. Osmotic cell lysis was still triggered when apoptosis, JNK activation, or autophagy was inhibited, suggesting that Cry1Aa-induced necrotic cell death occurred independently of these cellular signaling pathways. Injection of Cry1Aa into the body cavity resulted in specific ablation of CryR-expressing cells, indicating the usefulness of this method for in vivo cell ablation.ConclusionsWith Cry toxins from Bacillus thuringiensis, we developed a novel method for genetic induction of cell necrosis. Our system provides a “proteinous drill” for killing target cells through physical injury of the cell membrane, which can potentially be used to ablate any cell type in any organisms, even those that are resistant to apoptosis or JNK-dependent programmed cell death.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12915-015-0160-2) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Tissue interactions are critical for maintaining homeostasis; however, little is known about how remote tissue regulates regeneration. Previously, we established a genetic dual system that induces cell ablation in Drosophila larval imaginal discs and simultaneously manipulates genes in non-damaged tissues. Using humoral metabolome analysis and a genetic damage system, we found that the Tryptophan (Trp)-Kynurenine (Kyn) pathway in the fat body is required for disc repair. Genetic manipulation of Trp-Kyn metabolism in the fat body impaired disc regeneration without affecting wing development. In particular, the fat body-derived humoral kynurenic acid (KynA) was required for disc repair. The impairment of S-adenosylmethionine (SAM) synthesis from methionine (Met) in the fat body hampers the maintenance of KynA levels in hemolymph at the early stage of disc repair, suggesting a connection between Met-SAM and Trp-Kyn metabolisms. Our data indicate KynA from the fat body acts as a permissive metabolite for tissue repair and regeneration.

Regeneration is a fascinating process that allows some organisms to reconstruct damaged tissues. In addition to the classical regeneration model of the Drosophila larval imaginal discs, the genetically induced tissue ablation model has promoted the understanding of molecular mechanisms underlying cell death, proliferation, and remodeling for tissue regeneration. Recent studies have also revealed that tissue injury responses occur not only locally but also systemically, even in the uninjured region. Genetic studies in Drosophila have demonstrated the dynamic role of the cell death-induced tissue response in the reconstruction of damaged tissues.