Biology subjects

Dunbar, K.

Publications and source records attributed to Dunbar, K..

6 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2025

An antifungal with a novel mechanism of action discovered via resistance gene-guided genome mining

Invasive fungal infections claim over two million lives annually, a problem exacerbated by rising resistance to current antifungal treatments and an increasing population of immunocompromised individuals. Despite this, antifungal drug development has stagnated, with few novel agents and fewer novel targets explored in recent decades. Here, we validate acetolactate synthase (ALS), an enzyme critical for branched-chain amino acid biosynthesis and absent in humans, as a promising target for new therapeutics. Using resistance gene-guided genome mining, we discovered a biosynthetic gene cluster in Aspergillus terreus encoding HB-35018 (1), a novel spiro-cis-decalin tetramic acid that potently inhibits ALS. Biochemical and antifungal assays demonstrate that 1 surpasses existing ALS inhibitors in efficacy against Aspergillus fumigatus and other pathogenic fungi. Structural studies via cryo-electron microscopy reveal a unique covalent binding interaction between compound 1 and ALS, distinct from known inhibitors and finally, we demonstrate that ALS is essential for the virulence in a mouse model of invasive aspergillosis. These findings position ALS as a promising target for antifungal development and demonstrate the potential of resistance gene-guided genome mining for antifungal discovery.

bioengineering↗

bioRxiv2025

HMMR/RHAMM recruits SACK1D/FAM83D-CK1α complex at the mitotic spindle to control spindle alignment

The SACK1D/FAM83D-CK1 complex assembles at the mitotic spindle to orchestrate proper spindle positioning and error-free progression through mitosis. The full molecular picture of how this complex assembles and disassembles over the cell division cycle remains to be fully defined. Here, we show that HMMR is critical for SACK1D-CK1 complex formation at the spindle, co-localizes with the SACK1D-CK1 complex throughout mitosis, and is necessary for correct mitotic spindle alignment. We find that HMMR binds to the C-terminal -helix of SACK1D, and this helix is also important for the mitotic interaction between SACK1D and CK1. We demonstrate that HMMR binding stabilizes SACK1D. We map the mitotic hyperphosphorylation sites on SACK1D and show that this hyperphosphorylation signals the destruction of SACK1D upon mitotic exit. The destruction also requires the C-terminal -helix of SACK1D, suggesting that hyperphosphorylation of SACK1D in mitosis potentially exposes the C-terminal degron sequences resident on SACK1D. This study provides key molecular insights into the assembly and fate of the HMMR-SACK1D-CK1 complex at the mitotic spindle.

cell biology↗

bioRxiv2025

Single-Cell RNA Sequencing and Inferred Protein Activity Analysis Reveal a Distinct Tumor Phenotype in Early-Onset Colorectal Cancer Patients

Colorectal cancer (CRC) diagnosed before age 50 years (early-onset CRC, EO-CRC) is rising at an alarming rate, yet its molecular and microenvironmental drivers remain poorly understood. EO-CRC is highly heterogeneous, and while subtle differences from late-onset CRC (LO-CRC) have been reported, their full extent remains unresolved due to the limited scope of previous studies. Here, we integrate public data with in-house clinical samples profiled by single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) and multiplex immunofluorescence (mIF) to compare EO-CRC and LO-CRC. Additionally, we employ gene regulatory network-based protein activity inference (VIPER), enabling a more precise characterization of key regulatory proteins driving tumor-stroma interactions. Our analysis reveals that EO-CRC and LO-CRC have a largely similar immune composition, challenging previous reports of an "immune-cold" phenotype in EO-CRC. However, we identify distinct stromal differences, including a significant enrichment of fibroblasts in EO-CRC. Notably, we define a previously unrecognized epithelial subpopulation in EO-CRC, marked by high expression of toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) and C-C chemokine receptor type 5 (CCR5)--key mediators of inflammation-driven tumor progression and fibroblast recruitment. These findings suggest that EO-CRC may be driven by a tumor-intrinsic inflammatory phenotype with enhanced stromagenesis, providing new insights into potential mechanisms underlying its increasing incidence in young adults.

cancer biology↗

bioRxiv2020

IMiDs induce FAM83F degradation via an interaction with CK1α to attenuate Wnt signalling

Immunomodulatory imide drugs (IMiDs) bind CRBN, a substrate receptor of the Cul4A E3 ligase complex, enabling neo-substrate recruitment and degradation via the ubiquitin-proteasome system. Here, we report FAM83F as such a neo-substrate. We recently showed that the eight FAM83 proteins (A-H) interact with members of the serine/threonine protein kinase CK1 family, to regulate their subcellular distribution and distinct biological roles. CK1 is a well-established IMiD neo-substrate and we demonstrate here that IMiD-induced FAM83F degradation requires its association with CK1. Despite all FAM83 proteins interacting with CK1, no other FAM83 protein is degraded by IMiDs. FAM83F is localised to the plasma membrane, and consistent with this, IMiD treatment results in depletion of both FAM83F and CK1 levels from the plasma membrane. We have recently identified FAM83F as a mediator of the canonical Wnt signalling pathway. The IMiD-induced degradation of FAM83F attenuated Wnt signalling in colorectal cancer cells and removed CK1 from the plasma membrane, mirroring the phenotypes observed with genetic ablation of FAM83F. Intriguingly, in many cancer cell lines, IMiD-induced degradation of CK1 is only modest and incomplete. In line with this observation, the expression of FAM83G, which also binds to CK1, appears to attenuate the IMiD-induced degradation of CK1, suggesting a protective role for FAM83G on CK1. Our findings reveal that the efficiency of target protein degradation by IMiDs, and perhaps other degraders such as PROTACs, relies on the nature of the inherent multiprotein complex in which the target protein exists. Our findings unearth opportunities for developing degraders to target specific protein complexes.

cancer biology↗

bioRxiv2020

FAM83F regulates canonical Wnt signalling through an interaction with CK1α

The function of the FAM83F protein, like the functions of many members of the FAM83 family, is poorly understood. Here we show that injection of Fam83f mRNA into Xenopus embryos causes axis duplication, a phenotype indicative of enhanced Wnt signalling. Consistent with this, overexpression of FAM83F activates Wnt signalling, whilst ablation of FAM83F from human colorectal cancer (CRC) cells attenuates it. We demonstrate that FAM83F is farnesylated and interacts and co-localises with CK1 at the plasma membrane. This interaction with CK1 is essential for FAM83F to activate Wnt signalling, and FAM83F mutants that do not interact with CK1 fail to induce axis duplication in Xenopus embryos and to activate Wnt signalling in cells. FAM83F acts upstream of the {beta}-catenin destruction complex, because the attenuation of Wnt signalling caused by loss of FAM83F can be rescued by GSK-3 inhibition. Introduction of a farnesyl-deficient mutant mis-localises the FAM83F-CK1 complex to the nucleus and significantly attenuates Wnt signalling, indicating that FAM83F exerts its effects on Wnt signalling at the plasma membrane.

cell biology↗

bioRxiv2019

Aspirin-mediated DKK-1 increase rescues Wnt-driven stem-like phenotype in human intestinal organoids

Aspirin reduces the incidence and mortality of colorectal cancer (CRC). Wnt signalling drives CRC development from initiation to progression through regulation of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and cancer stem cell populations (CSC). Here, we investigated whether aspirin can rescue these pro-invasive phenotypes associated with CRC progression in Wnt-driven human and mouse intestinal organoids. Aspirin rescues the Wnt-driven cystic organoid phenotype by promoting budding in mouse and human Apc deficient organoids, which is paralleled by decreased stem cell marker expression. Aspirin-mediated Wnt inhibition in ApcMin/+ mice is associated with EMT inhibition and decreased cell migration, invasion and motility in CRC cell lines. Chemical Wnt activation induces EMT and stem-like alterations in CRC cells, which are rescued by aspirin. Aspirin increases expression of the Wnt antagonist Dickkopf-1 (DKK-1) in CRC cells and organoids derived from FAP patients. We provide evidence of phenotypic biomarkers of aspirin response with an increased epithelial and reduced stem-like state mediated by an increase in DKK-1. Thus we highlight a novel mechanism of aspirin-mediated Wnt inhibition and potential phenotypic and molecular biomarkers for trials.

cancer biology↗