Browsing by Author "Adams, Christopher M."

Now showing 1 - 4 of 4
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    Asparagine restriction enhances CD8+ T cell metabolic fitness and antitumoral functionality through an NRF2-dependent stress response
    (Springer Nature, 2023) Gnanaprakasam, J. N. Rashida; Kushwaha, Bhavana; Liu, Lingling; Chen, Xuyong; Kang, Siwen; Wang, Tingting; Cassel, Teresa A.; Adams, Christopher M.; Higashi, Richard M.; Scott, David A.; Xin, Gang; Li, Zihai; Yang, Jun; Lane, Andrew N.; Fan, Teresa W. M.; Zhang, Ji; Wang, Ruoning; Pediatrics, School of Medicine
    Robust and effective T cell immune surveillance and cancer immunotherapy require proper allocation of metabolic resources to sustain energetically costly processes, including growth and cytokine production. Here, we show that asparagine (Asn) restriction on CD8+ T cells exerted opposing effects during activation (early phase) and differentiation (late phase) following T cell activation. Asn restriction suppressed activation and cell cycle entry in the early phase while rapidly engaging the nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (NRF2)-dependent stress response, conferring robust proliferation and effector function on CD8+ T cells during differentiation. Mechanistically, NRF2 activation in CD8+ T cells conferred by Asn restriction rewired the metabolic program by reducing the overall glucose and glutamine consumption but increasing intracellular nucleotides to promote proliferation. Accordingly, Asn restriction or NRF2 activation potentiated the T cell-mediated antitumoral response in preclinical animal models, suggesting that Asn restriction is a promising and clinically relevant strategy to enhance cancer immunotherapy. Our study revealed Asn as a critical metabolic node in directing the stress signaling to shape T cell metabolic fitness and effector functions.
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    Biology of Activating Transcription Factor 4 (ATF4) and Its Role in Skeletal Muscle Atrophy
    (Elsevier, 2022) Ebert, Scott M.; Rasmussen, Blake B.; Judge, Andrew R.; Judge, Sarah M.; Larsson, Lars; Wek, Ronald C.; Anthony, Tracy G.; Marcotte, George R.; Miller, Matthew J.; Yorek, Mark A.; Vella, Adrian; Volpi, Elena; Stern, Jennifer I.; Strub, Matthew D.; Ryan, Zachary; Talley, John J.; Adams, Christopher M.; Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Medicine
    Activating transcription factor 4 (ATF4) is a multifunctional transcription regulatory protein in the basic leucine zipper superfamily. ATF4 can be expressed in most if not all mammalian cell types, and it can participate in a variety of cellular responses to specific environmental stresses, intracellular derangements, or growth factors. Because ATF4 is involved in a wide range of biological processes, its roles in human health and disease are not yet fully understood. Much of our current knowledge about ATF4 comes from investigations in cultured cell models, where ATF4 was originally characterized and where further investigations continue to provide new insights. ATF4 is also an increasingly prominent topic of in vivo investigations in fully differentiated mammalian cell types, where our current understanding of ATF4 is less complete. Here, we review some important high-level concepts and questions concerning the basic biology of ATF4. We then discuss current knowledge and emerging questions about the in vivo role of ATF4 in one fully differentiated cell type, mammalian skeletal muscle fibers.
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    Obesity challenges the hepatoprotective function of the integrated stress response to asparaginase exposure in mice
    (American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, 2017-04-21) Nikonorova, Inna A.; Al-Baghdadi, Rana J. T.; Mirek, Emily T.; Wang, Yongping; Goudie, Michael P.; Wetstein, Berish B.; Dixon, Joseph L.; Hine, Christopher; Mitchell, James R.; Adams, Christopher M.; Wek, Ronald C.; Anthony, Tracy G.; Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Medicine
    Obesity increases risk for liver toxicity by the anti-leukemic agent asparaginase, but the mechanism is unknown. Asparaginase activates the integrated stress response (ISR) via sensing amino acid depletion by the eukaryotic initiation factor 2 (eIF2) kinase GCN2. The goal of this work was to discern the impact of obesity, alone versus alongside genetic disruption of the ISR, on mechanisms of liver protection during chronic asparaginase exposure in mice. Following diet-induced obesity, biochemical analysis of livers revealed that asparaginase provoked hepatic steatosis that coincided with activation of another eIF2 kinase PKR-like endoplasmic reticulum kinase (PERK), a major ISR transducer to ER stress. Genetic loss of Gcn2 intensified hepatic PERK activation to asparaginase, yet surprisingly, mRNA levels of key ISR gene targets such as Atf5 and Trib3 failed to increase. Instead, mechanistic target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1) signal transduction was unleashed, and this coincided with liver dysfunction reflected by a failure to maintain hydrogen sulfide production or apolipoprotein B100 (ApoB100) expression. In contrast, obese mice lacking hepatic activating transcription factor 4 (Atf4) showed an exaggerated ISR and greater loss of endogenous hydrogen sulfide but normal inhibition of mTORC1 and maintenance of ApoB100 during asparaginase exposure. In both genetic mouse models, expression and phosphorylation of Sestrin2, an ATF4 gene target, was increased by asparaginase, suggesting mTORC1 inhibition during asparaginase exposure is not driven via eIF2-ATF4-Sestrin2. In conclusion, obesity promotes a maladaptive ISR during asparaginase exposure. GCN2 functions to repress mTORC1 activity and maintain ApoB100 protein levels independently of Atf4 expression, whereas hydrogen sulfide production is promoted via GCN2-ATF4 pathway.
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    Transcription factor ATF4 directs basal and stress-induced gene expression in the unfolded protein response and cholesterol metabolism in the liver
    (American Society for Cell Biology, 2016-05-01) Fusakio, Michael E.; Willy, Jeffrey A.; Wang, Yongping; Mirek, Emily T.; Al Baghdadi, Rana J. T.; Adams, Christopher M.; Anthony, Tracy G.; Wek, Ronald C.; Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, IU School of Medicine
    Disturbances in protein folding and membrane compositions in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) elicit the unfolded protein response (UPR). Each of three UPR sensory proteins-PERK (PEK/EIF2AK3), IRE1, and ATF6-is activated by ER stress. PERK phosphorylation of eIF2 represses global protein synthesis, lowering influx of nascent polypeptides into the stressed ER, coincident with preferential translation of ATF4 (CREB2). In cultured cells, ATF4 induces transcriptional expression of genes directed by the PERK arm of the UPR, including genes involved in amino acid metabolism, resistance to oxidative stress, and the proapoptotic transcription factor CHOP (GADD153/DDIT3). In this study, we characterize whole-body and tissue-specific ATF4-knockout mice and show in liver exposed to ER stress that ATF4 is not required for CHOP expression, but instead ATF6 is a primary inducer. RNA-Seq analysis indicates that ATF4 is responsible for a small portion of the PERK-dependent UPR genes and reveals a requirement for expression of ATF4 for expression of genes involved in oxidative stress response basally and cholesterol metabolism both basally and under stress. Consistent with this pattern of gene expression, loss of ATF4 resulted in enhanced oxidative damage, and increased free cholesterol in liver under stress accompanied by lowered cholesterol in sera.