Primary hypomagnesemia constitutes a rare heterogeneous group of disorders characterized by renal or intestinal magnesium (Mg 2+ ) wasting resulting in generally shared symptoms of Mg 2+ depletion, such as tetany and generalized convulsions, and often including associated disturbances in calcium excretion. However, most of the genes involved in the physiology of Mg 2+ handling are unknown. Through the discovery of a mutation in the EGF gene in isolated autosomal recessive renal hypomagnesemia, we have, for what we believe is the first time, identified a magnesiotropic hormone crucial for total body Mg 2+ balance. The mutation leads to impaired basolateral sorting of pro-EGF. As a consequence, the renal EGFR is inadequately stimulated, resulting in insufficient activation of the epithelial Mg 2+ channel TRPM6 (transient receptor potential cation channel, subfamily M, member 6) and thereby Mg 2+ loss. Furthermore, we show that colorectal cancer patients treated with cetuximab, an antagonist of the EGFR, develop hypomagnesemia, emphasizing the significance of EGF in maintaining Mg 2+ balance. IntroductionMagnesium (Mg 2+ ) is established as a central electrolyte in a large number of cellular metabolic reactions, including DNA synthesis, neurotransmission, and hormone receptor binding. It is a component of GTPase and a cofactor for Na,K-ATPase, adenylate cyclase, phosphoinositide kinases, and phosphofructokinase (1). Mg 2+ is also important for the regulation of parathyroid hormone release (2, 3). Accordingly, Mg 2+ deficiency (plasma Mg 2+ concentrations below 0.70 mM) has an effect on multiple body functions. Symptoms of Mg 2+ deficiency are mostly related to muscle dysfunctioning, such as tetany, prolonged QT interval, and cardiac arrhythmias (4). Children with hypomagnesemia often present with tetany and/or convulsions. Hypomagnesemia is a problem frequently observed in more than 10% of hospitalized patients and occurrences can be as high as 65% in intensive care patients (5). A long-term complication seen in many adult patients with chronic hypomagnesemia is chondrocalcinosis, which can lead to impairment of joint function (4). Mg 2+ deficiency can be secondary to systemic diseases (for instance, diabetes mellitus and Crohn disease) or to the use of osmotic agents, diuretics, and drugs such as cyclosporin and cisplatin (6). In addition, primary Mg 2+ deficiency is observed in several monogenetic disorders. Failure of early diagnosis or noncompliance with treatment can be fatal or result in permanent neurological damage.

In recent years, the transient receptor potential melastatin member 8 (TRPM8) channel has emerged as a promising prognostic marker and putative therapeutic target in prostate cancer (PCa). However, the mechanisms of prostate-specific regulation and functional evolution of TRPM8 during PCa progression remain unclear. Here we show, for the first time to our knowledge, that only secretory mature differentiated human prostate primary epithelial (PrPE) luminal cells expressed functional plasma membrane TRPM8 ( PM TRPM8) channels. Moreover, PCa epithelial cells obtained from in situ PCa were characterized by a significantly stronger PM TRPM8-mediated current than that in normal cells. This PM TRPM8 activity was abolished in dedifferentiated PrPE cells that had lost their luminal secretory phenotype. However, we found that in contrast to PM TRPM8, endoplasmic reticulum TRPM8 ( ER TRPM8) retained its function as an ER Ca 2+ release channel, independent of cell differentiation. We hypothesize that the constitutive activity of ER TRPM8 may result from the expression of a truncated TRPM8 splice variant. Our study provides insight into the role of TRPM8 in PCa progression and suggests that TRPM8 is a potentially attractive target for therapeutic intervention: specific inhibition of either ER TRPM8 or PM TRPM8 may be useful, depending on the stage and androgen sensitivity of the targeted PCa.

It is now apparent that regulation of blood vessel growth contributes to the classical actions of hormones on development, growth, and reproduction. Endothelial cells are ideally positioned to respond to hormones, which act in concert with locally produced chemical mediators to regulate their growth, motility, function, and survival. Hormones affect angiogenesis either directly through actions on endothelial cells or indirectly by regulating proangiogenic factors like vascular endothelial growth factor. Importantly, the local microenvironment of endothelial cells can determine the outcome of hormone action on angiogenesis. Members of the growth hormone/prolactin/placental lactogen, the renin-angiotensin, and the kallikrein-kinin systems that exert stimulatory effects on angiogenesis can acquire antiangiogenic properties after undergoing proteolytic cleavage. In view of the opposing effects of hormonal fragments and precursor molecules, the regulation of the proteases responsible for specific protein cleavage represents an efficient mechanism for balancing angiogenesis. This review presents an overview of the actions on angiogenesis of the above-mentioned peptide hormonal families and addresses how specific proteolysis alters the final outcome of these actions in the context of health and disease.

Recent cloning of a cold/menthol-sensitive TRPM8 channel (transient receptor potential melastatine family member 8) from rodent sensory neurons has provided the molecular basis for the cold sensation. Surprisingly, the human orthologue of rodent TRPM8 also appears to be strongly expressed in the prostate and in the prostate cancer-derived epithelial cell line, LNCaP. In this study, we show that despite such expression, LNCaP cells respond to cold/menthol stimulus by membrane current (I cold/menthol ) that shows inward rectification and high Ca 2؉ selectivity, which are dramatically different properties from "classical" TRPM8-mediated I cold/menthol . Yet, silencing of endogenous TRPM8 mRNA by either antisense or siRNA strategies suppresses both I cold/menthol and TRPM8 protein in LNCaP cells. We demonstrate that these puzzling results arise from TRPM8 localization not in the plasma, but in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) membrane of LNCaP cells, where it supports cold/menthol/icilin-induced Ca 2؉ release from the ER with concomitant activation of plasma membrane (PM) store-operated channels (SOC). In contrast, GFP-tagged TRPM8 heterologously expressed in HEK-293 cells target the PM. We also demonstrate that TRPM8 expression and the magnitude of SOC current associated with it are androgen-dependent. Our results suggest that the TRPM8 may be an important new ER Ca 2؉ release channel, potentially involved in a number of Ca 2؉ -and store-dependent processes in prostate cancer epithelial cells, including those that are important for prostate carcinogenesis, such as proliferation and apoptosis. Mammalian homologues of the Drosophila transient receptor potential (TRP)7 channel, which initially emerged as a channel specifically linked to phospholipase C-catalyzed inositol phospholipid breakdown signaling pathways, have now grown into a broad family of channelforming proteins displaying extraordinarily diverse activation mechanisms (for reviews, see Refs. 1-5). At present, these channels are grouped into six subfamilies based on structural homology and have been given a standard nomenclature (5).A number of mammalian TRPs show a unique mode of gating, in response to thermal stimuli as well as to the chemical imitators of burning and cooling sensations, capsaicin and menthol, respectively. As such, they represent a group of thermal receptors covering a wide range of physiological temperatures. Most thermal receptors belong to the vanilloid TRP subfamily (TRPV, Ref. 6) including warm-sensitive (Ͻ40°C) TRPV3 (7-9) and heat-and capsaicin-sensitive TRPV1 (Ͼ43°C) (10) and TRPV2 (Ͼ52°C) (11). In contrast, sensitivity to cooling temperatures (Ͻ22°C) and menthol is mediated by a structurally distant thermal receptor, TRPM8, belonging to the melastatine (TRPM) subfamily of TRP channels (12, 13); the ankyrin transmembrane protein 1 (ANKTM1 or TRPA1) is involved in the detection of noxious cold (14).Consistent with their role in the sensation of distinct physiological temperatures, thermal receptors are mostly expressed in subsets of...

One major clinical problem with prostate cancer is the cells' ability to survive and proliferate upon androgen withdrawal. Because Ca 2+ is central to growth control, understanding the mechanisms of Ca 2+ homeostasis involved in prostate cancer cell proliferation is imperative for new therapeutic strategies. Here, we show that agonist-mediated stimulation of A 1 -adrenergic receptors (A 1 -AR) promotes proliferation of the primary human prostate cancer epithelial (hPCE) cells by inducing store-independent Ca 2+ entry and subsequent activation of nuclear factor of activated T cells (NFAT) transcription factor. Such an agonist-induced Ca 2+ entry (ACE) relied mostly on transient receptor potential canonical 6 (TRPC6) channels, whose silencing by antisense hybrid depletion decreased both hPCE cell proliferation and ACE. In contrast, ACE and related growth arrest associated with purinergic receptors (P2Y-R) stimulation involved neither TRPC6 nor NFAT. Our findings show that A 1 -AR signaling requires the coupled activation of TRPC6 channels and NFAT to promote proliferation of hPCE cells and thereby suggest TRPC6 as a novel potential therapeutic target.