Ion channels represent a large class of drug targets, but their role in brain cancer is underexplored. Here, we identify that chloride intracellular channel 1 (CLIC1) is overexpressed in human central nervous system malignancies, including medulloblastoma, a common pediatric brain cancer. While global knockout does not overtly affect mouse development, genetic deletion of CLIC1 suppresses medulloblastoma growth in xenograft and genetically engineered mouse models. Mechanistically, CLIC1 enriches to the plasma membrane during mitosis and cooperates with potassium channel EAG2 at lipid rafts to regulate cell volume homeostasis. CLIC1 deficiency is associated with elevation of cell/nuclear volume ratio, uncoupling between RNA biosynthesis and cell size increase, and activation of the p38 MAPK pathway that suppresses proliferation. Concurrent knockdown of CLIC1/EAG2 and their evolutionarily conserved channels synergistically suppressed the growth of human medulloblastoma cells and Drosophila melanogaster brain tumors, respectively. These findings establish CLIC1 as a molecular dependency in rapidly dividing medulloblastoma cells, provide insights into the mechanism by which CLIC1 regulates tumorigenesis, and reveal that targeting CLIC1 and its functionally cooperative potassium channel is a disease-intervention strategy.

Oxidative stress status has a key role in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) development and progression. Normally, reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels are tightly controlled by an inducible antioxidant program that responds to cellular stressors. How HCC cells respond to excessive oxidative stress remains elusive. Here, we identified a feedback loop between gankyrin, an oncoprotein overexpressed in human HCC, and Nrf2 maintaining the homeostasis in HCC cells. Mechanistically, gankyrin was found to interact with the Kelch domain of Keap1 and effectively competed with Nrf2 for Keap1 binding. Increased expression of gankyrin in HCC cells blocked the binding between Nrf2 and Keap1, inhibiting the degradation of Nrf2 by proteasome. Interestingly, accumulation and translocation of Nrf2 increased the transcription of gankyrin through binding to the ARE elements in the promoter of gankyrin. The positive feedback regulation involving gankyrin and Nrf2 modulates a series of antioxidant enzymes, thereby lowering intracellular ROS and conferring a steadier intracellular environment, which prevents mitochondrial damage and cell death induced by excessive oxidative stress. Our results indicate that gankyrin is a regulator of cellular redox homeostasis and provide a link between oxidative stress and the development of HCC.

Although Fc receptors (FcRs) for switched immunoglobulin (Ig) isotypes have been extensively characterized, FcR for IgM (FcμR) has defied identification. By retroviral expression and functional cloning, we have identified a complementary DNA (cDNA) encoding a bona fide FcμR in human B-lineage cDNA libraries. FcμR is defined as a transmembrane sialoglycoprotein of ∼60 kD, which contains an extracellular Ig-like domain homologous to two other IgM-binding receptors (polymeric Ig receptor and Fcα/μR) but exhibits an exclusive Fcμ-binding specificity. The cytoplasmic tail of FcμR contains conserved Ser and Tyr residues, but none of the Tyr residues match the immunoreceptor tyrosine-based activation, inhibitory, or switch motifs. Unlike other FcRs, the major cell types expressing FcμR are adaptive immune cells, including B and T lymphocytes. After antigen-receptor ligation or phorbol myristate acetate stimulation, FcμR expression was up-regulated on B cells but was down-modulated on T cells, suggesting differential regulation of FcμR expression during B and T cell activation. Although this receptor was initially designated as Fas apoptotic inhibitory molecule 3, or TOSO, our results indicate that FcμR per se has no inhibitory activity in Fas-mediated apoptosis and that such inhibition is only achieved when anti-Fas antibody of an IgM but not IgG isotype is used for inducing apoptosis.

Morphologically and functionally distinct subpopulations of human memory B (B_Mem) cells are identifiable by either their expression of CD27 or Fc receptor–like 4 (FCRL4), an immunoglobulin domain containing a receptor with strong inhibitory potential. We have conducted comparative transcriptome and proteome analyses of FCRL4⁺ and FCRL4⁻ B_Mem cells and found that these two subsets have very distinctive expression profiles for genes encoding transcription factors, cell-surface proteins, intracellular signaling molecules, and modifiers of the cell-cycle status. Among the differentially expressed transcription factors, runt-related transcription factor 1 (RUNX1) transcript levels were up-regulated in FCRL4⁻ cells, whereas RUNX2 transcripts were preferentially detected in FCRL4⁺ cells. In vitro evidence for FCRL4 promoter responsiveness and in vivo promoter occupancy suggested that RUNX transcription factors are involved in the generation of these B_Mem cell subpopulations. A distinctive signature profile was defined for the FCRL4⁺ B_Mem cells by their expression of CD11c, receptor activator for nuclear factor κB ligand, and FAS cell-surface proteins, in combination with increased levels of SOX5, RUNX2, DLL1, and AICDA expression. We conclude that this recently identified subpopulation of B_Mem cells, which normally resides in epithelial tissue-based niches, may serve a unique role in mucosal defense and, conversely, as a target for neoplastic transformation events.

Activation of the mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) and nuclear factor κB (NF-κB) cascades after Toll-like receptor (TLR) stimulation contributes to innate immune responses. Signal regulatory protein (SIRP) α, a member of the SIRP family that is abundantly expressed in macrophages, has been implicated in regulating MAPK and NF-κB signaling pathways. In addition, SIRPα can negatively regulate the phagocytosis of host cells by macrophages, indicating an inhibitory role of SIRPα in innate immunity. We provide evidences that SIRPα is an essential endogenous regulator of the innate immune activation upon lipopolysaccharide (LPS) exposure. SIRPα expression was promptly reduced in macrophages after LPS stimulation. The decrease in SIRPα expression levels was required for initiation of LPS-induced innate immune responses because overexpression of SIRPα reduced macrophage responses to LPS. Knockdown of SIRPα caused prolonged activation of MAPKs and NF-κB pathways and augmented production of proinflammatory cytokines and type I interferon (IFN). Mice transferred with SIRPα-depleted macrophages were highly susceptible to endotoxic shock, developing multiple organ failure and exhibiting a remarkable increase in mortality. SIRPα may accomplish this mainly through its association and sequestration of the LPS signal transducer SHP-2. Thus, SIRPα functions as a biologically important modulator of TLR signaling and innate immunity.

One striking feature of spontaneous autoimmune diabetes is the prototypic formation of lymphoid follicular structures within the pancreas. Lymphotoxin (LT) has been shown to play an important role in the formation of lymphoid follicles in the spleen. To explore the potential role of LT-mediated microenvironment in the pathogenesis of insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM), an LTβ receptor–immunoglobulin fusion protein (LTβR–Ig) was administered to nonobese diabetic mice. Early treatment with LTβR–Ig prevented insulitis and IDDM, suggesting that LT plays a critical role in the insulitis development. LTβR–Ig treatment at a late stage of the disease also dramatically reversed insulitis and prevented diabetes. Moreover, LTβR–Ig treatment prevented the development of IDDM by diabetogenic T cells in an adoptive transfer model. Thus, LTβR–Ig can disassemble the well established lymphoid microenvironment in the islets, which is required for the development and progression of IDDM.

Although several cytokines, including tumor necrosis factor (TNF), can promote the growth of dendritic cells (DCs) in vitro, the cytokines that naturally regulate DC development and function in vivo have not been well defined. Here, we report that membrane lymphotoxin (LT), instead of TNF, regulates the migration of DCs in the spleen. LTα^−/− mice, lacking membrane LTα/β and LTα₃, show markedly reduced numbers of DCs in the spleen. Unlike wild-type mice and TNF^−/− mice that have densely clustered DCs in the T cell zone and around the marginal zone, splenic DCs in LTα^−/− mice are randomly distributed. The reduced number of DCs in lymphoid tissues of LTα^−/− mice is associated with an increased number of DCs in nonlymphoid tissues. The number of splenic DCs in LTα^−/− mice is restored when additional LT-expressing cells are provided. Blocking membrane LTα/β in wild-type mice markedly diminishes the accumulation of DCs in lymphoid tissues. These data suggest that membrane LT is an essential ligand for the presence of DCs in the spleen. Mice deficient in TNF receptor, which is the receptor for both soluble LTα₃ and TNF-α₃ trimers, have normal numbers of DCs. However, LTβR^−/− mice show reduced numbers of DCs, similar to the mice lacking membrane LT α/β. Taken together, these results support the notion that the signaling via LTβR by membrane LTα/β is required for the presence of DCs in lymphoid tissues.

Lymphotoxin (LT)α is expressed by activated T cells, especially CD4⁺ T helper type 1 cells, and by activated B and natural killer cells, but the functions of this molecule in vivo are incompletely defined. We have previously shown that follicular dendritic cell (FDC) clusters and germinal centers (GCs) are absent from the peripheral lymphoid tissues of LTα-deficient (LTα^−/−) mice. LTα^−/− mice produce high levels of antigen-specific immunoglobulin (Ig)M, but very low levels of IgG after immunization with sheep red blood cells. We show here that LTα-expressing B cells are essential for the recovery of primary, secondary, and memory humoral immune responses in LTα^−/− mice. It is not necessary for T cells to express LTα to support these immune functions. Importantly, LTα-expressing B cells alone are essential and sufficient for the formation of FDC clusters. Once these clusters are formed by LTα-expressing B cells, then LTα-deficient T cells can interact with B cells to generate GCs and productive class-switched antibody responses. Thus, B cells themselves provide an essential signal that induces and maintains the lymphoid microenvironment essential for GC formation and class-switched Ig responses.