SUMMARY Human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) is upregulated in a subset of human breast cancers. However, the cancer cells often quickly develop an adaptive response to HER2 kinase inhibitors. We found that an epigenetic pathway involving MLL2 is crucial for growth of HER2+ cells and MLL2 reduces sensitivity of the cancer cells to a HER2 inhibitor, Lapatinib. Lapatinib-induced FOXO transcription factors, normally tumor-suppressing, paradoxically upregulate c-Myc epigenetically, in concert with a cascade of MLL2-associating epigenetic regulators, to dampen sensitivity of the cancer cells to Lapatinib. An epigenetic inhibitor suppressing c-Myc synergizes with Lapatinib to suppress cancer growth in vivo, partly by repressing the FOXO/c-Myc axis, unraveling an epigenetically regulated FOXO/c-Myc axis as a potential target to improve therapy.

Abstract-High salt intake produces vascular changes that contribute to the development of hypertension in salt-sensitive individuals. Because reactive oxygen species play a role in the pathogenesis of cardiovascular diseases, we investigated whether oxidative stress contributes to salt-sensitive hypertension. Sprague-Dawley rats were divided in different groups and received tap water (vehicle), 30 mmol/L of L-buthionine sulfoximine ([BSO] an oxidant), high salt ([HS] 1% NaCl), and BSO plus HS without and with antioxidant tempol (1 mmol/L) in drinking water for 12 days. Compared with vehicle, BSO treatment caused oxidative stress and mild increase in blood pressure. Thoracic aortic rings from BSO-treated rats exhibited decreased response to endothelium-independent vasorelaxants. In HS-treated rats, the response to vasoactive agents, as well as blood pressure, was unaffected. Concomitant treatment of rats with BSO and HS produced a marked increase in blood pressure and a decreased response to both endothelium-dependent and endothelium-independent vasorelaxants with an increase in EC 50 . Incubation of aortic tissue from BSO-treated rats with sodium nitroprusside showed decreased cGMP accumulation, whereas HS rats had decreased basal NO synthase activity. Tempol decreased oxidative stress, normalized blood pressure, and restored NO signaling and responses to vasoactive compounds in BSO and BSO plus HS rats. We conclude that BSO increases oxidative stress and reduces NO signaling, whereas HS reduces NO levels by decreasing the NO synthase activity. These phenomena collectively result in reduced responsiveness to both endothelium -dependent and endothelium-independent vasorelaxants and may contribute to salt-sensitive hypertension. Key Words: acetylcholine Ⅲ hypertension Ⅲ oxidative stress Ⅲ salt sensitivity Ⅲ tempol E ndothelial cells modulate the reactivity of the underlying vascular smooth muscle cells by releasing endotheliumderived relaxing factors. 1,2 Previous studies have demonstrated that elevated dietary salt intake leads to an impaired relaxation of blood vessels to endothelium-dependent relaxations induced by a variety of vasodilator agents. 3-9 A possible contributor to impaired vascular relaxation to dilator stimuli in animals on a high-salt diet is an impaired function of the endothelium. 3-9 Impaired endothelium-dependent dilation in vessels of animals on a high-salt diet could occur either because the acetylcholine (Ach)-mediated production of NO by the endothelium is impaired or because of the failure of NO to cause vasodilation. [3][4][5][6][7][8][9] NO is a major regulator of vascular tone in humans. 10 Decreased production or bioavailability, or decreased vascular response to NO, has been implicated in the pathogenesis of human hypertension. 11,12 An increase in blood pressure (BP) in response to dietary sodium (salt sensitivity) is a well-documented phenomenon in humans and is considered to be an important factor in the pathogenesis of hypertension. 4 In animal models of salt-sensitive hypertens...

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Background: Menin represses pancreatic beta cell proliferation. Results: Menin promotes processing of let-7a, whose target IRS2 plays an important role in insulin signaling and beta cell proliferation. Conclusion: Menin represses beta cell proliferation partly via regulation of miRNA biogenesis. Significance: Understanding how menin represses beta cell proliferation will aid toward improving therapies targeting endocrine tumors and metabolic diseases including diabetes.

Menin is a scaffold protein that interacts with several epigenetic mediators to regulate gene transcription, and suppresses pancreatic β-cell proliferation. Tamoxifen-inducible deletion of multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1 () gene, which encodes the protein menin, increases β-cell mass in multiple murine models of diabetes and ameliorates diabetes. Glucagon-like-peptide-1 (GLP1) is another key physiological modulator of β-cell mass and glucose homeostasis. However, it is not clearly understood whether menin crosstalks with GLP1 signaling. Here, we show that menin and protein arginine methyltransferase 5 (PRMT5) suppress GLP1 receptor (GLP1R) transcript levels. Notably, a GLP1R agonist induces phosphorylation of forkhead box protein O1 (FOXO1) at S253, and the phosphorylation is mediated by PKA. Interestingly, menin suppresses GLP1-induced and PKA-mediated phosphorylation of both FOXO1 and cAMP response element binding protein (CREB), likely through a protein arginine methyltransferase. Menin-mediated suppression of FOXO1 and CREB phosphorylation increases FOXO1 levels and suppresses CREB target genes, respectively. A small-molecule menin inhibitor reverses menin-mediated suppression of both FOXO1 and CREB phosphorylation. In addition, ex vivo treatment of both mouse and human pancreatic islets with a menin inhibitor increases levels of proliferation marker Ki67. In conclusion, our results suggest that menin and PRMT5 suppress GLP1R transcript levels and PKA-mediated phosphorylation of FOXO1 and CREB, and a menin inhibitor may reverse this suppression to induce β-cell proliferation.

Muhammad AB, Lokhandwala MF, Banday AA. Exercise reduces oxidative stress but does not alleviate hyperinsulinemia or renal dopamine D1 receptor dysfunction in obese rats.

Obesity has nearly tripled since 1975 and is predicted to continue to escalate. The surge in obesity is expected to increase the risk of diabetes type 2, hypertension, coronary artery disease, and stroke. Therefore, it is essential to better understand the mechanisms that regulate energy and glucose homeostasis. The opioid system is implicated in regulating both aspects (hedonic and homeostatic) of food intake. Specifically, in the present study, we investigated the role of endogenous enkephalins in changes in food intake and glucose homeostasis. We used preproenkephalin (ppENK) knockout mice and their wildtype littermates/controls to assess changes in body weight, food intake, and plasma glucose levels when mice were fed a high-fat diet for 16 weeks. Body weight and food intake were measured every week (n = 21–23 mice per genotype), and at the end of the 16-week exposure period, mice were tested using the oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT, n = 9 mice per genotype) and insulin tolerance test (n = 5 mice per genotype). Our results revealed no difference in body weight or food intake between mice of the two genotypes. However, HFD-exposed enkephalin-deficient mice demonstrated impaired OGTT associated with reduced insulin sensitivity compared to their wildtype controls. The impaired insulin sensitivity is possibly due to the development of peripheral insulin resistance. Our results reveal a potential role of enkephalins in the regulation of glucose homeostasis and in the pathophysiology of diabetes type 2.