mTORC1 is a master regulator of cell growth and proliferation, and an established anticancer drug target. Aberrant mTORC1 signaling is common in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), but the underlying mechanism remains elusive. Rab1A is a newly identified mTORC1 activator that mediates an alternative amino acid (AA) signaling branch to Rag GTPases. Because liver is a physiological hub for nutrient sensing and metabolic homeostasis, we investigated the possible role of Rab1A in HCC. We found that Rab1A is frequently overexpressed in HCC, which enhances hyperactive AA-mTORC1 signaling, promoting malignant growth and metastasis of HCC in vitro and in vivo. Moreover, aberrant Rab1A expression is closely associated with poor prognosis. Strikingly, aberrant Rab1A overexpression leads to increased rapamycin sensitivity, indicating that inappropriate activation of AA signaling is a cancer-driving event in HCC. Our findings further suggest that Rab1A is a valuable biomarker for prognosis and personalized mTORC1-targeted therapy in liver cancer.
A new model of cachexia is described in which muscle protein metabolism related to the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway was investigated. Cloning of the colon-26 tumor produced a cell line, termed R-1, which induced cytokine (noninterleukin-1β, interleukin-6 and tumor necrosis factor-α)-independent cachexia. Implantation of R-1 cells in mice elicited significant (20–30%) weight loss and decreased blood glucose by 70%, and adipose tissue levels declined by 95% and muscle weights decreased by 20–25%. Food intake was unaffected. The decrease in muscle weight reflected a decline in insoluble, but not soluble, muscle protein that was associated with a significant increase in net protein degradation. The rate of ubiquitin conjugation of proteins was significantly elevated in muscles of cachectic mice. Furthermore, the proteasome inhibitor lactacystin blocked the increase in protein breakdown but had no significant effect on proteolysis. Several markers of the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway, E214k mRNA and E214k protein and ubiquitin-protein conjugates, were not elevated. Future investigations with this new model should gain further insights into the mechanisms of cachexia and provide a background to evaluate novel and more efficacious therapies.
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