2015年4月8日訊 /生物谷BIOON/-- 許多癌症患者遭受衰弱症候群,又稱為惡病質,整個身體肌肉和脂肪組織破壞。發表在最近的Development Cell上兩項使用果蠅為模型研究表示一個腫瘤分泌的蛋白質Impl2,能夠抑制全身胰島素信號,並且可能是驅動惡病質的罪魁禍首。
肌肉消瘦和能量存儲的損失發生在與癌症相關的惡病質,但也可以由嚴重飢餓,感染,或響應於創傷觸發。之前已經有研究通過移植腫瘤建立這種惡病質果蠅模型,不過很少有人了解,局部腫瘤如何引起廣泛組織破壞的分子機制。要了解這個過程中,哈佛大學的Norbert Perrimon和他的合作者激活Yorkie(yki)-一種與人類YAP1同源的果蠅基因,導致果蠅腸細胞繁殖過剩。6至12天後,這個局部的細胞生長造成脂肪和肌肉組織退化。在肌肉中這種退化是伴隨著有關碳水化合物和蛋白質代謝基因的表達減少,和血液循環中顯著增高的糖水平。
對果蠅的轉錄組進一步分析後發現,在繁殖過剩的腸細胞中Impl2表達約為70倍以上。這種蛋白在肌肉,脂肪,卵巢和其他組織中的表達對比於對照動物的組織並沒有什麼不同。幹擾Impl2表達後,防止惡病質帶來的組織萎縮和消耗,表明該組織特異性分泌的因子可調節介導整個能量存儲系統。這項研究使用了一個致癌基因同源物激活Impl2,但可能其他致癌基因可以發揮類似的作用。果蠅的Impl2功能很像哺乳動物的胰島素樣生長因子(IGF)結合蛋白,能夠阻斷胰島素信號。一些研究表明,這些蛋白質在癌症中被上調,但它們在癌症惡病質的作用並不被充分了解。研究人員表示他們將會可以篩選果蠅基因組,看看到底那些蛋白參與了惡病質過程。
加州大學伯克利分校的 Alejandra Figueroa-Clarevega和David Bilder,在果蠅腹部移植腫瘤誘導惡病質。他們發現惡性腫瘤會誘導的脂肪,肌肉和性腺組織發生大規模破壞。而良性的腫瘤可以長到比惡性腫瘤更大,但即使它們非常大,卻不會引起這種惡病質。這表明並不是因為腫瘤越大越需要消耗營養物質,取而代之的原因是一些惡性腫瘤產生的一些物質造成了惡病質。通過轉錄組分析搜索這個分泌因子,研究人員同樣發現了有嫌疑的Impl2。腫瘤分泌Impl2降低其他組織的胰島素信號傳導途徑。在隨後的實驗中研究人員發現,即使不存在腫瘤,簡單地在腸細胞過表達Impl2就能夠觸發遠側組織的變性。而在腫瘤組織中去除Impl2表達,既能可以防止惡病質症狀。
在兩項研究中,有腫瘤的果蠅並不比健康的果蠅進食少。研究人員說道:「關於惡病質的關鍵是,你不能只通過病人進食或者打營養素來對抗惡病質。」兩篇研究同時鎖定到Impl2,表示Impl2的確對惡病質有作用。無論Impl2是否在人類癌症惡病質中也扮演同樣重要的角色,這些發現都有重大意義。我們目前無法治療癌症惡病質的主要原因是缺乏對其發展的機制了解。Impl2鑑定作為潛在的作用因子,可以提高我們對這個疾病的認識。(生物谷bioon.com)
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Malignant Drosophila tumors interrupt insulin signaling to induce cachexia-like wasting
doi:10.1016/j.devcel.2015.03.001
A. Figueroa-Clarevega et al.
Summary
Tumors kill patients not only through well-characterized perturbations to their local environment but also through poorly understood pathophysiological interactions with distant tissues. Here, we use a Drosophila tumor model to investigate the elusive mechanisms underlying such long-range interactions. Transplantation of tumors into adults induces robust wasting of adipose, muscle, and gonadal tissues that are distant from the tumor, phenotypes that resemble the cancer cachexia seen in human patients. Notably, malignant, but not benign, tumors induce peripheral wasting. We identify the insulin growth factor binding protein (IGFBP) homolog ImpL2, an antagonist of insulin signaling, as a secreted factor mediating wasting. ImpL2 is sufficient to drive tissue loss, and insulin activity is reduced in peripheral tissues of tumor-bearing hosts. Importantly, knocking down ImpL2, specifically in the tumor, ameliorates wasting phenotypes. We propose that the tumor-secreted IGFBP creates insulin resistance in distant tissues, thus driving a systemic wasting response.
Systemic organ wasting induced by localized expression of the secreted insulin/IGF Antagonist ImpL2
doi:10.1016/j.devcel.2015.02.012
Y. Kwon et al.
Summary
Organ wasting, related to changes in nutrition and metabolic activity of cells and tissues, is observed under conditions of starvation and in the context of diseases, including cancers. We have developed a model for organ wasting in adult Drosophila, whereby overproliferation induced by activation of Yorkie, the Yap1 oncogene ortholog, in intestinal stem cells leads to wasting of the ovary, fat body, and muscle. These organ-wasting phenotypes are associated with a reduction in systemic insulin/IGF signaling due to increased expression of the secreted insulin/IGF antagonist ImpL2 from the overproliferating gut. Strikingly, expression of rate-limiting glycolytic enzymes and central components of the insulin/IGF pathway is upregulated with activation of Yorkie in the gut, which may provide a mechanism for this overproliferating tissue to evade the effect of ImpL2. Altogether, our study provides insights into the mechanisms underlying organ-wasting phenotypes in Drosophila and how overproliferating tissues adapt to global changes in metabolism.