Biology subjects

Pickard, A.

Publications and source records attributed to Pickard, A..

11 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2025

NNMT is a biomarker of prostate cancer cells with a mesenchymal phenotype and induces sensitivity to metabolic agents

Nicotinamide phosphoribosyltransferase (NAMPT) is the rate-limiting enzyme in the NAD+ salvage pathway and a promising therapeutic target in cancer. Resistance to NAMPT inhibitors, such as FK866, remains a key limitation to their clinical translation. While acquired resistance in cancer cell lines has been linked to target mutations, increased drug efflux and metabolic reprogramming, innate resistance mechanisms have been poorly studied. Addressing this gap is essential for identifying patient subgroups most likely to benefit from NAMPT-targeted therapies. Advanced castration resistance prostate cancer (CRPC) lacks effective targeted treatments. Among its heterogeneous subtypes, stem cell-like CRPC (CRPC-SCL) is defined by androgen receptor (AR) independence, YAP/TAZ dependency, and mesenchymal traits. In this study, we identify the YAP/nicotinamide N-methyltransferase (NNMT) axis as a key mediator of innate sensitivity to FK866 in stem-like mesenchymal CRPC cells. Using genetic and pharmacological models, we show that YAP or NNMT silencing rescues mesenchymal CRPC cells from FK866-induced apoptosis, endoplasmic reticulum stress, and NAD(H) loss. Metabolomic profiling confirmed that NNMT activity depletes nicotinamide, sensitizing cells to FK866. We further validated NNMT upregulation across clinical CRPC- SCL datasets, where it strongly correlates with mesenchymal and therapy-resistant phenotypes, as well as in murine prostate cancer cells with mesenchymal/stemness phenotypes. In conclusion, we identify the YAP/NNMT axis as a determinant of innate sensitivity to NAMPT inhibition in prostate cancer. These findings support the use of NNMT as a predictive biomarker for NAD+-targeting therapies and provide mechanistic insight into a metabolic vulnerability of the CRPC-SCL subtype. Targeting the YAP/NNMT/NAMPT axis may represent a novel strategy for treating stem-like/mesenchymal, therapy-resistant prostate cancers. GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT O_FIG O_LINKSMALLFIG WIDTH=200 HEIGHT=118 SRC="FIGDIR/small/651153v2_ufig1.gif" ALT="Figure 1"> View larger version (15K): org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@de4237org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@1cd577corg.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@2aa97corg.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@dd2ac0_HPS_FORMAT_FIGEXP M_FIG C_FIG

cancer biology↗

bioRxiv2024

Collagen fibril formation at the plasma membrane occurs independently from collagen secretion

Collagen fibrils are the primary supporting scaffold of vertebrate tissues but how they are assembled is unclear. Here, using CRISPR-tagging of type I collagen and SILAC labelling, we elucidate the cellular mechanism for the spatiotemporal assembly of collagen fibrils, in cultured fibroblasts. Our findings reveal multifaceted trafficking of collagen, including constitutive secretion, intracellular pooling, and plasma membrane-directed fibrillogenesis. Notably, we differentiate the processes of collagen secretion and fibril assembly and identify the crucial involvement of endocytosis in regulating fibril formation. By employing Col1a1 knockout fibroblasts we demonstrate the incorporation of exogenous collagen into nucleation sites at the plasma membrane through these recycling mechanisms. Our study sheds light on the assembly process and its regulation in health and disease. Mass spectrometry data are available via ProteomeXchange with identifier PXD036794.

cell biology↗

bioRxiv2022

IRF7 impacts on prostate cancer cell survival in response to radiation

Understanding the impact of radiotherapy on the evolution of treatment resistant prostate cancer is critical for selecting effective treatment combinations. Whilst activation of Type 1 interferon signalling is a hallmark of how cells respond to viral infection, in cancer cells, multiple stresses are known to activate this same response. In this study we have evaluated for the first time the changes in the interferon response induced by culturing prostate cancer cells under sphere- forming conditions and following irradiation. We report a conserved upregulated transcript profile for both conditions that is strongly associated with therapeutic resistance and cell survival in vitro and in vivo. The profile includes and is regulated by the Type 1 interferon master regulator IRF7 which, when depleted, delays tumour re-growth following irradiation. We immuno-stained two independent prostate cohorts for IRF7 and found that increased expression, particularly in cases with low PTEN expression, correlated with poor prognosis. To more comprehensively characterise the impact of IRF7 and radiation on cells, RNA-Seq was performed on IRF7 knockdown cells at different radiation doses. We identified a number of biological processes that were IRF7-dependent, including the formation of stem-like cell populations and also therapeutic vulnerabilities. For example, irradiation sensitised surviving cells to either a combination of an IKK{varepsilon}/TBK1 and a MEK inhibitor or treatment with an inhibitor of IDO1, an IRF7- dependent gene. Translationally our work suggests that IRF7 expression can be used to stratify patients who may not benefit from receiving radiotherapy alone but rather may benefit from treatment combinations. In two cohorts treated with radical intent, strong IRF7 staining was associated with disease-specific death implicating this pathway as a convergence point for therapeutic resistance in prostate and potentially other cancer types.

cancer biology↗

bioRxiv2022

Mutual inhibition of airway epithelial responses supports viral and fungal co-pathogenesis during coinfection

Awareness that fungal coinfection complicates viral respiratory infections causing worse disease outcome has recently emerged. The environmental fungus Aspergillus fumigatus (Af) has been reported as the main driver of fungal coinfection in patients suffering from viral infections caused by Cytomegalovirus, Influenza or more recently SARS-CoV2. The airway epithelium is the first common point of contact between inhaled pathogens and the host. Aberrant airway epithelial cell (AEC) responses against fungal challenge have been described in patients susceptible to aspergillosis. Therefore, it is likely that a dysregulation of AEC responses during fungal-viral coinfection represents a potent driver for the development of fungal disease. Here we used an in vitro model of Af-viral infection of AECs to determine outcomes of spore internalisation, killing and viral replication during coinfection. Our data indicate that viral stimulation, while boosting Af uptake by AECs, limits Af spore killing by those cells, favouring fungal persistence and growth. Type I viral-induced interferon release was significantly decreased in the presence of Af hyphal forms suggesting a possible role of Af secreted factors in modulating viral pathogenicity. We next explored the impact of Af challenge in SARS-CoV2 replication within airway epithelial cells using nano-luciferase as a measure of viral replication. We found that Af increased SARS-CoV2 pathogenicity in a strain-dependent manner. Collectively, our findings demonstrate a mutual inhibition of antifungal and antiviral AEC responses during Af-viral coinfection and also suggest that some fungal factors might be key regulators of co-pathogenicity during in lung infection.

microbiology↗

bioRxiv2022

Mmp14-controlled extracellular matrix homeostasis is required for circadian rhythm

The circadian clock in tendon regulates the daily rhythmic synthesis of collagen-I and the appearance and disappearance of small-diameter collagen fibrils in the extracellular matrix. How the fibrils are assembled and removed is not fully understood. Here, we first showed that the collagenase, membrane type I-matrix metalloproteinase (MT1-MMP, encoded by Mmp14), is regulated by the circadian clock in postnatal mouse tendon. Next, we generated tamoxifen-induced Col1a2-Cre-ERT2::Mmp14 KO mice (Mmp14 conditional knockout (CKO)). The CKO mice developed hind limb dorsiflexion and thickened tendons, which accumulated narrow-diameter collagen fibrils causing ultrastructural disorganization. Mass spectrometry of control tendons identified 1195 proteins of which 212 showed time-dependent abundance. In Mmp14 CKO mice 19 proteins had reversed temporal abundance and 176 proteins lost time dependency. Among these, the collagen crosslinking enzymes lysyl oxidase-like 1 (LOXL1) and lysyl hydroxylase 1 (LH1; encoded by Plod2) were elevated and had lost time-dependent regulation. High-pressure chromatography confirmed elevated levels of hydroxylysine aldehyde (pyridinoline) crosslinking of collagen in CKO tendons. As a result, collagen-I was refractory to extraction. We also showed that CRISPR-Cas9 deletion of Mmp14 from cultured fibroblasts resulted in loss of circadian clock rhythmicity of period 2 (PER2), and recombinant MT1-MMP was highly effective at cleaving soluble collagen-I but less effective at cleaving collagen pre-assembled into fibrils. In conclusion, our study shows that circadian clock-regulated Mmp14 controls the rhythmic synthesis of small diameter collagen fibrils, regulates collagen crosslinking, and its absence disrupts the circadian clock and matrisome in tendon fibroblasts.

cell biology↗

bioRxiv2021

Discovery of re-purposed drugs that slow SARS-CoV-2 replication in human cells

COVID-19 vaccines based on the Spike protein of SARS-CoV-2 have been developed that appear to be largely successful in stopping infection. However, vaccine escape variants might arise leading to a re-emergence of COVID. In anticipation of such a scenario, the identification of repurposed drugs that stop SARS-CoV-2 replication could have enormous utility in stemming the disease. Here, using a nano-luciferase tagged version of the virus (SARS-CoV-2- DOrf7a-NLuc) to quantitate viral load, we evaluated a range of human cell types for their ability to be infected and support replication of the virus, and performed a screen of 1971 FDA-approved drugs. Hepatocytes, kidney glomerulus, and proximal tubule cells were particularly effective in supporting SARS-CoV-2 replication, which is in- line with reported proteinuria and liver damage in patients with COVID-19. We identified 35 drugs that reduced viral replication in Vero and human hepatocytes when treated prior to SARS-CoV-2 infection and found amodiaquine, atovaquone, bedaquiline, ebastine, LY2835219, manidipine, panobinostat, and vitamin D3 to be effective in slowing SARS-CoV-2 replication in human cells when used to treat infected cells. In conclusion, our study has identified strong candidates for drug repurposing, which could prove powerful additions to the treatment of COVID.

immunology↗

bioRxiv2020

Dynamic protein quantification (DyProQ) of procollagen-I by CRISPR-Cas9 NanoLucIferase tagging

The ability to quantitate a protein of interest temporally and spatially at subcellular resolution in living cells would generate new opportunities for research and drug discovery but remains a major technical challenge. Here, we describe dynamic protein quantitation (DyProQ) which is effective across microscopy and multiwell platforms. Using collagen as a test protein, CRISPR-Cas9-mediated introduction of nluc (encoding NanoLuciferase, NLuc) into the Col1a2 locus enabled simplification and miniaturisation of procollagen-I (PC-I) quantitation. We robustly assessed extracellular, intracellular, and subcellular PC-I levels, by correlating to known concentrations of recombinant NLuc in the presence of substrate. Loss of collagen causes tissue degeneration whereas excess collagen results in fibrosis (often with poor-outcome) and is evident in aggressive cancers; however, treatment options are extremely limited. Using collagen-DyProQ, we screened a library of 1,971 FDA-approved compounds and identified 10 candidates for repurposing in the treatment of fibrotic and 7 for degenerative diseases.

cell biology↗

bioRxiv2020

Development of a novel allograft model of prostate cancer: a new tool to inform clinical translation

BackgroundAllograft models enable characterisation of genomic drivers and treatment responses by modelling immune and micro-environmental changes more accurately than xenografts. Despite this, few models are available to the prostate cancer (PCa) community. This study presents a novel allograft model of high-risk, localised PCa. In characterising this model we have focused on its response to radiotherapy (RT). MethodsThe DVL3 cell line was derived from a transgenic trp53-/-/Pten-/- mouse model and characterised both in vitro and in vivo. The DVL3 cells were allografted and response to RT was investigated and compared to the TRAMP-C1 model. Extensive tumour profiling in the DVL3 model was performed using flow cytometry, immunohistochemistry and RNA-seq. ResultsIn vitro the DVL3 cells expressed basal and luminal markers. DVL3 cells formed tumours with distinct glandular morphology which expressed androgen receptor, similar to human localised PC. DVL3 tumour growth was delayed following administration of fractionated RT, with infiltration of myeloid derived suppressor cells (MDSC). ConclusionsThe DVL3 allograft model represents substantial progress in PCa modelling, displaying; luminal differentiation, strong AR expression, and an immunosuppressive microenvironment, similar to observations in high-risk PCa patients. This model is ideally suited for development and validation of novel therapeutics, in particular immune-modulatory agents in combination with RT.

cancer biology↗

bioRxiv2018

Protection of circadian rhythms by the protein folding chaperone, BiP

ER stress and dysregulation of collagen synthesis are associated with progression of disease in cancer and fibrosis. Collagen synthesis is co-ordinated with the circadian clock, which curiously in cancer cells, is deregulated by ER stress. We hypothesised that interplay exists between circadian rhythm, collagen synthesis and ER stress in normal cells. Here we show that fibroblasts with ER stress do not demonstrate circadian rhythms in gene expression upon clock-synchronizing time cues. Conversely, overexpression of BiP or treatment with chemical chaperones strengthens the oscillation amplitude of circadian rhythms. The significance of these findings was explored in tendon, where we showed that BiP expression is ramped preemptively prior to a surge in collagen synthesis at night, thereby preventing protein misfolding and ER stress. In turn, we propose, this forestalls activation of the unfolded protein response in order for circadian rhythms to be maintained. Thus, targeting ER stress could be used to modulate circadian rhythm and restore collagen homeostasis in disease.

cell biology↗

bioRxiv2018

Collagen assembly and turnover imaged with a CRISPR-Cas9 engineered Dendra2 tag

Electron microscopy has been the \"gold standard\" for studying collagen networks but dynamic information on how cells synthesise the networks has been lacking. Live imaging methods have been unable to distinguish newly-synthesised fibrils from pre-existing fibrils and intracellular collagen. Here, we tagged endogenous collagen-I using CRISPR-Cas9 with photoswitchable Dendra2 and demonstrate live cells synthesising, migrating on, and interacting with, collagen fibrils. This strategy is applicable for other long half-life proteins.

cell biology↗

bioRxiv2018

Circadian Clock Regulation of the Secretory Pathway

Collagen is the most abundant secreted protein in vertebrates that persists throughout life without renewal. The unchanging nature of collagen contrasts with observed continued collagen synthesis throughout adulthood and with conventional transcriptional and translational homeostatic mechanisms that replace damaged proteins with new copies. Here we show circadian clock regulation of procollagen transport from ER-to-Golgi and Golgi-to-plasma membrane by sequential rhythmic expression of SEC61, TANGO1, PDE4D and VPS33B. The result is nocturnal procollagen synthesis and daytime collagen fibril assembly in mice. Rhythmic collagen degradation by CTSK maintains collagen homeostasis. This circadian cycle of collagen synthesis, assembly and degradation affects only a pool of newly-synthesized collagen whilst maintaining the persistent collagen network. Disabling the circadian clock causes collagen accumulation and abnormal fibrils in vivo. In conclusion, our study has identified a circadian clock mechanism of protein homeostasis in which a sacrificial pool of collagen is synthesized and removed to maintain tissue function.

cell biology↗