The Pin1 prolyl isomerase regulates phosphorylation signaling by controlling protein conformation after phosphorylation, and its upregulation promotes oncogenesis via acting on numerous oncogenic molecules. SUMOylation and deSUMOylation are dynamic mechanisms regulating a spectrum of protein activities. The SUMO proteases (SENP) remove SUMO conjugate from proteins, and their expression is deregulated in cancers. However, nothing is known about the role of SUMOylation in regulating Pin1 function. Here, we show that Pin1 is SUMOylated on Lys6 in the WW domain and on Lys63 in the PPIase domain. Pin1 SUMOylation inhibits its protein activity and oncogenic function. We further identify that SENP1 binds to and deSUMOylates Pin1. Importantly, either overexpression of SENP1 or disruption of Pin1 SUMOylation promotes the ability of Pin1 to induce centrosome amplification and cell transformation. Moreover, SENP1 also increases Pin1 protein stability in cell cultures, and Pin1 levels are positively correlated with SENP1 levels in human breast cancer specimens. These results not only uncover Pin1 SUMOylation on Lys6/63 as a novel mechanism to inhibit its activity and function but also identify a critical role for SENP1-mediated deSUMOylation in promoting Pin1 function during tumorigenesis. Cancer Res; 73(13); 3951–62. ©2013 AACR.

Intracellular galectins are carbohydrate-binding proteins capable of sensing and repairing damaged lysosomes. As in the physiological conditions glycosylated moieties are mostly in the lysosomal lumen but not cytosol, it is unclear whether galectins reside in lysosomes, bind to glycosylated proteins, and regulate lysosome functions. Here, we show in gut epithelial cells, galectin-9 is enriched in lysosomes and predominantly binds to lysosome-associated membrane protein 2 (Lamp2) in a Asn(N)-glycan dependent manner. At the steady state, galectin-9 binding to glycosylated Asn¹⁷⁵ of Lamp2 is essential for functionality of lysosomes and autophagy. Loss of N-glycan-binding capability of galectin-9 causes its complete depletion from lysosomes and defective autophagy, leading to increased endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress preferentially in autophagy-active Paneth cells and acinar cells. Unresolved ER stress consequently causes cell degeneration or apoptosis that associates with colitis and pancreatic disorders in mice. Therefore, lysosomal galectins maintain homeostatic function of lysosomes to prevent organ pathogenesis.

Despite clinical success with anti-spike vaccines, the effectiveness of neutralizing antibodies and vaccines has been compromised by rapidly spreading SARS-CoV-2 variants. Viruses can hijack the glycosylation machinery of host cells to shield themselves from the host's immune response and attenuate antibody efficiency. However, it remains unclear if targeting glycosylation on viral spike protein can impair infectivity of SARS-CoV-2 and its variants. We adopted flow cytometry, ELISA, and BioLayer interferometry approaches to assess binding of glycosylated or deglycosylated spike with ACE2. Viral entry was determined by luciferase, immunoblotting, and immunofluorescence assays. Genome-wide association study (GWAS) revealed a significant relationship between STT3A and COVID-19 severity. NF-κB/STT3A-regulated N-glycosylation was investigated by gene knockdown, chromatin immunoprecipitation, and promoter assay. We developed an antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) that couples non-neutralization anti-spike antibody with NGI-1 (4G10-ADC) to specifically target SARS-CoV-2-infected cells. The receptor binding domain and three distinct SARS-CoV-2 surface N-glycosylation sites among 57,311 spike proteins retrieved from the NCBI-Virus-database are highly evolutionarily conserved (99.67%) and are involved in ACE2 interaction. STT3A is a key glycosyltransferase catalyzing spike glycosylation and is positively correlated with COVID-19 severity. We found that inhibiting STT3A using N-linked glycosylation inhibitor-1 (NGI-1) impaired SARS-CoV-2 infectivity and that of its variants [Alpha (B.1.1.7) and Beta (B.1.351)]. Most importantly, 4G10-ADC enters SARS-CoV-2-infected cells and NGI-1 is subsequently released to deglycosylate spike protein, thereby reinforcing the neutralizing abilities of antibodies, vaccines, or convalescent sera and reducing SARS-CoV-2 variant infectivity. Our results indicate that targeting evolutionarily-conserved STT3A-mediated glycosylation via an ADC can exert profound impacts on SARS-CoV-2 variant infectivity. Thus, we have identified a novel deglycosylation method suitable for eradicating SARS-CoV-2 variant infection in vitro. A full list of funding bodies that contributed to this study can be found in the Acknowledgements section

Obesity and type 2 diabetes have reached pandemic proportion. ALDH2 (acetaldehyde dehydrogenase 2, mitochondrial) is the key metabolizing enzyme of acetaldehyde and other toxic aldehydes, such as 4-hydroxynonenal. A missense Glu504Lys mutation of the ALDH2 gene is prevalent in 560 million East Asians, resulting in reduced ALDH2 enzymatic activity. We find that male Aldh2 knock-in mice mimicking human Glu504Lys mutation were prone to develop diet-induced obesity, glucose intolerance, insulin resistance, and fatty liver due to reduced adaptive thermogenesis and energy expenditure. We find reduced activity of ALDH2 of the brown adipose tissue from the male Aldh2 homozygous knock-in mice. Proteomic analyses of the brown adipose tissue from the male Aldh2 knock-in mice identifies increased 4-hydroxynonenal-adducted proteins involved in mitochondrial fatty acid oxidation and electron transport chain, leading to markedly decreased fatty acid oxidation rate and mitochondrial respiration of brown adipose tissue, which is essential for adaptive thermogenesis and energy expenditure. AD-9308 is a water-soluble, potent, and highly selective ALDH2 activator. AD-9308 treatment ameliorates diet-induced obesity and fatty liver, and improves glucose homeostasis in both male Aldh2 wild-type and knock-in mice. Our data highlight the therapeutic potential of reducing toxic aldehyde levels by activating ALDH2 for metabolic diseases.

Background: Serglycin (SRGN), previously recognized as an intracellular proteoglycan involved in the storage processes of secretory granules, has recently been shown to be upregulated in several solid tumors. We have previously shown that SRGN in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) promotes malignant phenotypes in a CD44-dependent manner and increased expression of SRGN predicts poor prognosis of primary lung adenocarcinomas. However, the underlying mechanism remains to be defined.Methods: Overexpression, knockdown and knockout approaches were performed to assess the role of SRGN in cell motility using wound healing and Boyden chamber migration assays. SRGN devoid of glycosaminoglycan (GAG) modification was produced by site-directed mutagenesis or chondroitinase treatment. Liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry was applied for quantitative analysis of the disaccharide compositions and sulfation extent of SRGN GAGs. Western blot and co-immunoprecipitation analyses were performed to determine the expression and interaction of proteins of interest. Actin cytoskeleton organization was monitored by immunofluorescence staining.Results: SRGN expressed by NSCLC cells is readily secreted to the extracellular matrix in a heavily glycosylated form attached with mainly chondroitin sulfate (CS)-GAG chains, and to a lesser extent with heparin sulfate (HS). The CS-GAG moiety serves as the structural motif for SRGN binding to tumor cell surface CD44 and promotes cell migration. SRGN devoid of CS-GAG modification fails to interact with CD44 and has lost the ability to promote cell migration. SRGN/CD44 interaction promotes focal adhesion turnover via Src-mediated paxillin phosphorylation and disassembly of paxillin/FAK adhesion complex, facilitating cell migration. In support, depletion of Src activity or removal of CS-GAGs efficiently blocks SRGN-mediated Src activation and cell migration. SRGN also promotes cell migration via inducing cytoskeleton reorganization mediated through RAC1 and CDC42 activation accompanied with increased lamellipodia and filopodia formation.Conclusions: Proteoglycan SRGN promotes NSCLC cell migration via the binding of its GAG motif to CD44. SRGN/CD44 interaction induces Rho-family GTPase-mediated cytoskeleton reorganization and facilitates Src-mediated focal adhesion turnover, leading to increased cell migration. These findings suggest that targeting specific glycans in tumor microenvironment that serve as ligands for oncogenic pathways may be a potential strategy for cancer therapy.