Biology subjects

Meloche, S.

Publications and source records attributed to Meloche, S..

9 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2026

The orphan receptor IL-17RD is a negative regulator of RIG-I-like receptor-dependent antiviral innate immunity and restrains SARS-CoV-2-induced lung inflammation

Detection of viral RNA by the RIG-I-like receptors (RLRs) RIG-I and MDA5 triggers assembly of a MAVS-dependent signalosome that activates the TBK1-IRF3 and IKK{beta}-NF-{kappa}B axes together with the JNK and p38 MAPK modules, driving type I and type III interferon (IFN) and inflammatory cytokine production. Because unrestrained activity of this pathway is a major cause of immunopathology, host-encoded negative regulators are essential, yet the full complement of these brakes remains incompletely defined. Here we identify interleukin-17 receptor D (IL-17RD, also known as SEF), an orphan member of the IL-17 receptor family previously characterized as an antagonist of FGF and Toll-like receptor signaling, as a negative regulator of RLR-driven antiviral innate immunity. Using a CRISPR-engineered and shRNA-depleted human airway epithelial-derived lung carcinoma A549 cell line, we show that loss of IL-17RD amplifies and prolongs phosphorylation of TBK1 and IRF3 in response to poly I:C transfection and to infection with encephalomyocarditis virus (EMCV) or Sendai virus (SeV), and likewise potentiates the IKK{beta}-I{kappa}B module and the TAK1-JNK1/2 and p38 MAPK branches. This translates into increased nuclear accumulation of IRF3 and p65, and markedly elevated induction of IFNB1, IFNL1-3, CCL5, IL6, and NFKBIA transcripts, as well as secreted IFN-{beta} and IL-6. Silencing IL-17RD in ACE2-expressing A549 cells similarly derepresses the antiviral and inflammatory transcriptional programme following SARS-CoV-2 infection. Epistasis experiments place IL-17RD at the level of MAVS, downstream of the RLR sentinels. Mechanistically, IL-17RD localizes to the ER-to-Golgi intermediate compartment (ERGIC), the membrane platform on which the MAVS signalosome is present, and associates with RIG-I, MDA5, MAVS, TBK1 and IRF3. Its re-expression in depleted cells redistributes RLR effectors and TRAF proteins across low-molecular-weight signalosome fractions, reducing the amount of IRF3 recruited to the 670 kDa MAVS signalosome complex. Complementation of IL-17RD-deficient cells also indicates that the intracellular TIR subdomain is sufficient to confer this antagonistic activity. Finally, Il17rd-/- mice display a splenic transcriptome enriched for antiviral response signatures, and, following intranasal infection with a moderate dose of SARS-CoV-2, they mount an exaggerated pulmonary cytokine response and develop significantly greater lung inflammation and fibrosis than wild-type littermates. Together, these data establish IL-17RD as a bona fide brake on the RLR-MAVS axis that limits virus-induced immunopathology, and identify the SEFIR/TIR subdomain as the module responsible for this activity.

microbiology↗

bioRxiv2026

Redundant roles of YES and SRC tyrosine kinases in driving malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors

Malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors (MPNST) are highly aggressive soft tissue sarcomas that are largely incurable with no clinically effective systemic therapies or immunotherapies for advanced disease. Here, we identify the SRC-family kinases (SFKs) YES and SRC as redundant, essential drivers of MPNST growth. Dual inhibition of YES/SRC activity by genetic silencing or pharmacological SFK inhibitors markedly suppressed the proliferation of multiple NF1-mutant MPNST cell lines. In vivo, conditional genetic depletion of YES/SRC in MPNST cells abrogated tumor growth in subcutaneous and orthotopic models, and dasatinib treatment delayed tumor progression and improved overall survival. Integrated transcriptomic and phosphotyrosine proteomic analyses revealed that YES/SRC inactivation extensively rewires MPNST signaling, coordinately repressing multiple oncogenic signaling pathways and downstream cell cycle transcriptional programs. Unexpectedly, YES/SRC inhibition also upregulated interferon and antigen processing and presentation pathways and increased cell-surface MHC class I expression, consistent with tumor-intrinsic immune reactivation. Clinically, analysis of a large sarcoma cohort demonstrated that YES1 is significantly overexpressed in MPNST compared to benign soft tissue tumors. Collectively, our findings establish YES/SRC as non-oncogene vulnerabilities in MPNST.

cancer biology↗

bioRxiv2026

A Chemical-Genetic Interaction Matrix Reveals Drug Mechanism and Genetic Architecture

To probe drug mechanism of action (MOA) and interrogate the genetic architecture of human cells, we carried out isogenic genome-wide CRISPR/Cas9 knockout screens against 310 diverse drugs, bioactive compounds, and stress conditions. Stringent statistical correction for gene knockout fitness defects yielded a large-scale matrix of >12,000 high confidence chemical-genetic interactions (CGIs). This dataset revealed many previously unappreciated off-target effects for well-characterized compounds and novel MOAs for uncharacterized compounds. The CGI matrix uncovered dense genetic modules that yielded new biological insights into phospholipidosis, mitotic regulation, metabolism, the DNA damage response, and mTOR signaling. The dataset allowed identification of multi-drug sensitization and resistance mechanisms, inference of gene function, elaboration of cross-process connectivity, evaluation of the cell type specificity of CGIs, prediction of chemical synergism, and extensive annotation of understudied genes. This resource provides a map of the genetic landscape in human cells and a framework to help guide drug discovery.

systems biology↗

bioRxiv2023

ERK3 Is Involved in Regulating Cardiac Fibroblast Function

ERK3/MAPK6, an atypical MAPK, activates MAP kinase-activated protein kinase (MK)-5 in selected cell types. MK5 haplodeficient mice show reduced hypertrophy and attenuated increase in Col1a1 mRNA in response to increased cardiac afterload. In addition, MK5 deficiency alters cardiac fibroblast function. This study was to determine the effect of reduced ERK3 on cardiac hypertrophy following transverse aortic constriction (TAC) and fibroblast biology. Three wk post-surgery, ERK3, but not ERK4 or p38, was co-immunoprecipitated with MK5 from both sham and TAC heart lysates. The increase in left ventricular mass and myocyte diameter was lower in TAC-ERK3+/- than TAC-ERK3+/+ hearts, whereas ERK3 haploinsufficiency did not alter systolic or diastolic function. Furthermore, the TAC-induced increase in Col1a1 mRNA abundance was diminished in ERK3+/- hearts. ERK3 immunoreactivity was detected in atrial and ventricular fibroblasts but not myocytes. In both quiescent fibroblasts and activated myofibroblasts isolated from adult mouse heart, siRNA-mediated knockdown of ERK3 reduced the TGF-{beta}-induced increase in Col1a1 mRNA. In addition, intracellular type 1 collagen immunoreactivity was reduced following ERK3 depletion in quiescent fibroblasts but not myofibroblasts. Finally, knocking down ERK3 impaired motility in both atrial and ventricular myofibroblasts. These results suggest that ERK3 plays an important role in multiple aspects of cardiac fibroblast biology.

cell biology↗

bioRxiv2023

OSGN-1 is a conserved flavin-containing monooxygenase required to stabilize the intercellular bridge in late cytokinesis

Cytokinesis is the last step of cell division and is regulated by the small GTPase RhoA. RhoA activity is required for all steps of cytokinesis, including prior to abscission when daughter cells are ultimately physically separated. Like germ cells in all animals, the C. elegans embryonic germline founder cell initiates cytokinesis but does not complete abscission, leaving a stable intercellular bridge between the two daughter cells. Here we identify and characterize C. elegans OSGN-1 as a novel cytokinetic regulator that promotes RhoA activity during late cytokinesis. Sequence analyses and biochemical reconstitutions reveal that OSGN-1 is a flavin-containing monooxygenase. Genetic analyses indicate that the monooxygenase activity of OSGN-1 is required to maintain active RhoA at the end of cytokinesis in the germline founder cell and to stabilize the intercellular bridge. Deletion of OSGIN1 in human cells results in an increase in binucleation as a result of cytokinetic furrow regression, and this phenotype can be rescued by expressing a catalytically-active form of C. elegans OSGN-1, indicating that OSGN-1 and OSGIN1 are functional orthologs. We propose that OSGN-1 and OSGIN1 are novel, conserved monooxygenase enzymes required to maintain RhoA activity at the intercellular bridge during late cytokinesis and thus promote its stability, enabling proper abscission in human cells and bridge stabilization in C. elegans germ cells.

cell biology↗

bioRxiv2023

The G protein-coupled receptor TBXA2R activates ERMs to promote motility, invasion, and metastasis of triple-negative breast cancer cells.

Cell migration and invasion are critical processes for cancer cell metastasis, relying on the ability of cells to adapt their morphology. Proteins of the ezrin, radixin, and moesin (ERM) family are key regulators of cell morphogenesis and essential determinants of cancer cell metastasis. However, the mechanisms by which ERMs are activated in metastatic cells remain poorly understood. Here, we identify the thromboxane A2 receptor (TBXA2R), a G protein-coupled receptor overexpressed in multiple cancers, as a critical activator of ERMs, enhancing the motility and invasion of triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) cells. We found that TBXA2R activates ERMs by engaging the Gq/11 and G12/13 subfamilies, the small GTPase RhoA, and its Ser/Thr kinase effectors SLK and LOK. Furthermore, we demonstrate that TBXA2R promotes TNBC cell motility and invasion in vitro and metastatic colonization in vivo, dependent on ERM function. These findings reveal a novel signaling axis by which a member of the largest class of receptors activates key metastatic determinants, thereby controlling various aspects of metastasis. This discovery opens new avenues for developing targeted therapies against cancer metastasis.

cancer biology↗

bioRxiv2022

On the therapeutic potential of MAPK4 in triple-negative breast cancer

ERK3/MAPK6 (MAPK6 gene) along with its paralog ERK4/MAPK4 (MAPK4 gene) define a distinct subfamily of atypical mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs)1. Much remains to be learned about the substrates and biological functions of these signaling enzymes. Interestingly, recent work has suggested that ERK4 promotes prostate cancer progression via the non-canonical activation of AKT/mTOR signaling2,3. In their recent study, Wang et al.4 report that ERK4 is expressed in a subset of triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) cell lines and that this expression is critical for AKT activation and for sustaining TNBC cell proliferation in vitro and tumor growth in mice. They also show that depletion of ERK4 sensitizes TNBC cells to phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase (PI3K) inhibitors. They conclude that ERK4 is a promising therapeutic target for TNBC and has potential for combination therapy with PI3K inhibitors. Here, we raise concerns about the cellular models and experimental approaches used in this study, which compromises the conclusions on the oncogenic role of ERK4 in TNBC.

cancer biology↗

bioRxiv2021

ERK3-MK5 signaling regulates myogenic differentiation and muscle regeneration by promoting FoxO3 degradation

The physiological functions and downstream effectors of the atypical mitogen-activated protein kinase ERK3 remain to be characterized. We recently reported that mice expressing catalytically-inactive ERK3 (Mapk6KD/KD) exhibit a reduced post-natal growth rate as compared to control mice. Here, we show that genetic inactivation of ERK3 impairs post-natal skeletal muscle growth and adult muscle regeneration after injury. Loss of MK5 phenocopies the muscle phenotypes of Mapk6KD/KD mice. At the cellular level, genetic or pharmacological inactivation of ERK3 or MK5 induces precocious differentiation of C2C12 or primary myoblasts, concomitant with MyoD activation. Reciprocally, ectopic expression of activated MK5 inhibits myogenic differentiation. Mechanistically, we show that MK5 directly phosphorylates FoxO3, promoting its degradation and reducing its association with MyoD. Depletion of FoxO3 rescues in part the premature differentiation of C2C12 myoblasts observed upon inactivation of ERK3 or MK5. Our findings reveal that ERK3 and its substrate MK5 act in a linear signaling pathway to control post-natal myogenic differentiation.

cell biology↗

bioRxiv2018

Reevaluation of the Role of ERK3 in Perinatal Survival and Post-Natal Growth Using New Genetically-Engineered Mouse Models

The physiological functions of the atypical MAP kinase ERK3 remain poorly characterized. Previous analysis of mice with a targeted insertion of the lacZ reporter in the Mapk6 locus (Mapk6lacZ) showed that inactivation of ERK3 in Mapk6lacZ mice leads to perinatal lethality associated with intrauterine growth restriction, defective lung maturation, and neuromuscular anomalies. To further explore the role of ERK3 in physiology and disease, we generated novel mouse models expressing a catalytically-inactive (Mapk6KD) or conditional (Mapk6{Delta}) allele of ERK3. Surprisingly, we found that mice devoid of ERK3 kinase activity or expression survive the perinatal period without any observable lung or neuromuscular phenotype. ERK3 mutant mice reached adulthood, were fertile and showed no apparent health problem. However, analysis of growth curves revealed that ERK3 kinase activity is ncessary for optimal post-natal growth. To gain insight into the genetic basis underlying the discrepancy in phenotypes of different Mapk6 mutant mouse models, we analyzed the regulation of genes flanking the Mapk6 locus by quantitative PCR. We found that expression of several Mapk6 neighboring genes is deregulated in Mapk6lacZ mice, but not in Mapk6KD or Mapk6{Delta} mutant mice. Our genetic analysis suggests that off-target effects of the targeting construct on local gene expression are likely to be responsible for the perinatal lethality phenotype of Mapk6lacZ mutant mice.

developmental biology↗