IRF6 is a mediator of Notch pro-differentiation and tumour suppressive function in keratinocytes

While the pro-differentiation and tumour suppressive functions of Notch signalling in keratinocytes are well established, the underlying mechanisms remain poorly understood. We report here that interferon regulatory factor 6 (IRF6), an IRF family member with an essential role in epidermal development, is induced in differentiation through a Notch-dependent mechanism and is a primary Notch target in keratinocytes and keratinocyte-derived SCC cells. Increased IRF6 expression contributes to the impact of Notch activation on growth/differentiation-related genes, while it is not required for induction of 'canonical' Notch targets like p21 WAF1/Cip1, Hes1 and Hey1. Down-modulation of IRF6 counteracts differentiation of primary human keratinocytes in vitro and in vivo, promoting ras-induced tumour formation. The clinical relevance of these findings is illustrated by the strikingly opposite pattern of expression of Notch1 and IRF6 versus epidermal growth factor receptor in a cohort of clinical SCCs, as a function of their grade of differentiation. Thus, IRF6 is a primary Notch target in keratinocytes, which contributes to the role of this pathway in differentiation and tumour suppression. The EMBO Journal (2011) 30, 4571-4585. doi:10.1038/emboj.2011.325; Published online 9 September 2011 Subject Categories: signal transduction; molecular biology of disease

RhoV, a Potential Notch Target Gene in Murine Skin, Does not Play an Essential Role in Epidermis Development and Homeostasis

April Bezdek Pomey

The evolutionarily conserved Notch signaling cascade plays a pivotal role in the regulation of many fundamental processes such as stem cell maintenance, proliferation, and differentiation. Recently, we aimed to identify downstream target genes regulated by Notch1 during epidermal differentiation. For this purpose an Affymetrix mouse gene chip array of 14.000 genes was performed in both Notch1 gain and loss of function experiments using murine primary keratinocytes. Thirteen genes positively or negatively regulated, based on expression levels and relevance of the involved signaling pathways, were further validated by real-time PCR. Among these, we decided to focus on the Rho GTPase RhoV because it showed robust up- and down-regulation under both gain- and loss-of-function conditions. Therefore, we generated different transgenic mice expressing either a dominant active or a dominant negative form of RhoV specifically in the skin. Morphological and histological analyses did not reveal any overt skin phenotype in transgenic mice. In addition, challenging the system by performing wound healing assays demonstrated that the healing process in transgenic mice occurred normally and that the migration and/or differentiation of keratinocytes was unimpaired. Taken together, our data suggest that gain or loss of RhoV function does not perturb skin development and homeostasis, and does not affect the wound healing process. In addition to the investigation of the potential Notch target gene RhoV, we sought to generate both a floxed Jag2 gene targeted mouse line and a Notch2-specifc reporter mouse. The former was intended to enable conditional deletion of the Notch ligand Jagged2 and therefore allow its role to be studied in a loss-of-function context. The Notch2 reporter mouse is a tool enabling the in vivo study of cells that receive a Notch2-mediated signal. The strategy employs elements of a Tet-Off system and allows cells receiving a Notch2 specific signal to be identified in any tissue at any given time point.

EPFL2010

Identification and functional characterization of protein kinases that modulate Notch signaling under physiological conditions and in cancer

Chhavi Jain

The Notch signaling pathway is a key regulator of cell fate decisions in embryonic development and in adult tissue homeostasis. Mounting evidence suggests that Notch signaling is frequently deregulated in human neoplasms, where depending upon the cellular context it can function both as an oncogene or a tumor suppressor. A plethora of studies shed light on how Notch crosstalks with signaling pathways downstream to manifest either its oncogenic or tumor suppressive activity. However, regulatory networks upstream of the Notch signaling pathway are still poorly understood. Since protein kinases are well-known regulators of a majority of cell signaling pathways, the aim of the current study was to identify novel positive and negative regulatory kinases that modulate Notch signaling. Using a HeLa cell based co-culture assay to read Notch-dependent luciferase activity, a small interference RNA (siRNA) library against the human kinase genome was previously tested in a high-throughput manner. Validation of top candidate kinases from the screening using both siRNA as well as pharmacological inhibitors led to further elimination of false positives and identification of Protein Kinase B (AKT2) and Calmodulin Kinase II (CaMKII) as key positive while Janus kinases (JAKs) as key negative regulators of the Notch signaling pathway. In the first part of the study, we analyzed the positive regulation of AKT2 and CaMKII kinases on Notch signaling in the T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) cells where Notch is oncogenic. It was shown that pharmacological inhibition of either AKT2 or CaMKII kinase in T-ALL cell lines in vitro abrogated the expression of active Notch1 intracellular domain (N1-ICD) as well as of Notch target genes. Moreover, inhibition of these kinases blocked proliferation of T-ALL cells. In the second part of the study, we analyzed the negative regulation of JAK kinases on Notch signaling using a distinct physiological context where Notch is tumor suppressive. It was shown that pharmacological inhibition of JAK kinases led to an induction of Notch receptor transcription and of Notch target genes in the human primary epidermal keratinocytes (HPEK) as well as in the skin squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) cell lines. In addition, the pharmacological inhibition of JAK kinases induced a block in proliferation, cell cycle arrest and differentiation in HPEKs and skin SCCs by increased expression of early differentiation markers. Suppression of Notch signaling in primary keratinocytes counteracted the differentiation-inducing effect of JAK inhibition. Since JAK inhibition affected Notch transcription, global gene expression profiling using RNA sequencing was done to identify transcription factors involved in an indirect regulation of JAK kinases on the Notch cascade. EGR1 and EGR2 belonging to the early growth response family of transcription factors were significantly modulated downstream of JAK inhibition. In vivo, topical inhibition of JAK kinases provided marked resistance against chemically induced cutaneous carcinogenesis.Taken together, our data reveals a key role of AKT2 and CaMKII kinases in positive regulation while of JAK kinases in the negative regulation of Notch signaling, of potential relevance for combinatory approaches for cancer therapy. Pharmacological inhibitors against these kinases could be tested for their ability to modulate Notch signaling and may prove highly beneficial in the therapy of Notch-driven cancers.

EPFL2016

RhoV, a Potential Notch Target Gene in Murine Skin, Does not Play an Essential Role in Epidermis Development and Homeostasis

April Bezdek Pomey

EPFL2010

Identification and functional characterization of protein kinases that modulate Notch signaling under physiological conditions and in cancer

Chhavi Jain

EPFL2016