Recently, it was demonstrated that pancreatic new-born glucagon-producing cells can regenerate and convert into insulin-producing β-like cells through the ectopic expression of a single gene, Pax4. Here, combining conditional loss-of-function and lineage tracing approaches, we show that the selective inhibition of the Arx gene in α-cells is sufficient to promote the conversion of adult α-cells into β-like cells at any age. Interestingly, this conversion induces the continuous mobilization of duct-lining precursor cells to adopt an endocrine cell fate, the glucagon+ cells thereby generated being subsequently converted into β-like cells upon Arx inhibition. Of interest, through the generation and analysis of Arx and Pax4 conditional double-mutants, we provide evidence that Pax4 is dispensable for these regeneration processes, indicating that Arx represents the main trigger of α-cell-mediated β-like cell neogenesis. Importantly, the loss of Arx in α-cells is sufficient to regenerate a functional β-cell mass and thereby reverse diabetes following toxin-induced β-cell depletion. Our data therefore suggest that strategies aiming at inhibiting the expression of Arx, or its molecular targets/co-factors, may pave new avenues for the treatment of diabetes.

It was recently demonstrated that embryonic glucagon-producing cells in the pancreas can regenerate and convert into insulin-producing β-like cells through the constitutive/ectopic expression of the Pax4 gene. However, whether α cells in adult mice display the same plasticity is unknown. Similarly, the mechanisms underlying such reprogramming remain unclear. We now demonstrate that the misexpression of Pax4 in glucagon(+) cells age-independently induces their conversion into β-like cells and their glucagon shortage-mediated replacement, resulting in islet hypertrophy and in an unexpected islet neogenesis. Combining several lineage-tracing approaches, we show that, upon Pax4-mediated α-to-β-like cell conversion, pancreatic duct-lining precursor cells are continuously mobilized, re-express the developmental gene Ngn3, and successively adopt a glucagon(+) and a β-like cell identity through a mechanism involving the reawakening of the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition. Importantly, these processes can repeatedly regenerate the whole β cell mass and thereby reverse several rounds of toxin-induced diabetes, providing perspectives to design therapeutic regenerative strategies.

The visible light spectrum is wide, and it can be hypothesized that all the wavelengths between 400-700 nm do not induce the same photobiological effects on pigmentation. We assessed the potential pro-pigmenting effects of two single wavelengths located at both extremities of the visible spectrum: the blue/violet line (λ = 415 nm) and the red line (λ = 630 nm). We made colorimetric, clinical, and histological assessments with increasing doses of those lights on healthy volunteers. Then, we compared these irradiations to non-exposed and UVB-exposed skin. Colorimetric and clinical assessments showed a clear dose effect with the 415-nm irradiation, in both skin type III and IV subjects, whereas the 630 nm did not induce hyperpigmentation. When compared to UVB irradiation, the blue-violet light induced a significantly more pronounced hyperpigmentation that lasted up to 3 months. Histological examination showed a significant increase of keratinocyte necrosis and p53 with UVB, as compared to 415- and 630-nm exposures.

Disruption of the endothelial barrier by tumour-derived secreted factors is a critical step in cancer cell extravasation and metastasis. Here, by comparative proteomic analysis of melanoma secretomes, we identify the matricellular protein SPARC as a novel tumour-derived vascular permeability factor. SPARC deficiency abrogates tumour-initiated permeability of lung capillaries and prevents extravasation, whereas SPARC overexpression enhances vascular leakiness, extravasation and lung metastasis. SPARC-induced paracellular permeability is dependent on the endothelial VCAM1 receptor and p38 MAPK signalling. Blocking VCAM1 impedes melanoma-induced endothelial permeability and extravasation. The clinical relevance of our findings is highlighted by high levels of SPARC detected in tumour from human pulmonary melanoma lesions. Our study establishes tumour-produced SPARC and VCAM1 as regulators of cancer extravasation, revealing a novel targetable interaction for prevention of metastasis.

The altered metabolism of cancer cells is a treasure trove to discover new antitumoral strategies. The gene (SLC7A5) encoding system L amino-acid transporter 1 (LAT1) is overexpressed in murine lymphoma cells generated via T-cell deletion of the pten tumor suppressor, and also in human T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL)/lymphoma (T-LL) cells. We show here that a potent and LAT1 selective inhibitor (JPH203) decreased leukemic cell viability and proliferation, and induced transient autophagy followed by apoptosis. JPH203 could also alter the in vivo growth of luciferase-expressing-tPTEN-/- cells xenografted into nude mice. In contrast, JPH203 was nontoxic to normal murine thymocytes and human peripheral blood lymphocytes. JPH203 interfered with constitutive activation of mTORC1 and Akt, decreased expression of c-myc and triggered an unfolded protein response mediated by the C/EBP homologous protein (CHOP) transcription factor associated with cell death. A JPH203-resistant tPTEN-/-clone appeared CHOP induction deficient. We also demonstrate that targeting LAT1 may be an efficient broad spectrum adjuvant approach to treat deadly T-cell malignancies as the molecule synergized with rapamycin, dexamethasone, doxorubicin, velcade and l-asparaginase to alter leukemic cell viability.

Findings of increased vascularization in melasma lesions and hyperpigmentation in acquired bilateral telangiectatic macules suggested a link between pigmentation and vascularization. Using high-magnification digital epiluminescence dermatoscopy, laser confocal microscopy, and histological examination, we showed that benign vascular lesions of the skin have restricted but significant hyperpigmentation compared with the surrounding skin. We then studied the role of microvascular endothelial cells in regulating skin pigmentation using an in vitro co-culture model using endothelial cells and melanocytes. These experiments showed that endothelin 1 released by microvascular endothelial cells induces increased melanogenesis signaling, characterized by microphthalmia-associated transcription factor phosphorylation, and increased tyrosinase and dopachrome tautomerase levels. Immunostaining for endothelin 1 in vascular lesions confirmed the increased expression on the basal layer of the epidermis above small vessels compared with perilesional skin. Endothelin acts through the activation of endothelin receptor B and the mitogen-activated protein kinase, extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK)1/2, and p38, to induce melanogenesis. Finally, culturing of reconstructed skin with microvascular endothelial cells led to increased skin pigmentation that could be prevented by inhibiting EDNRB. Taken together these results demonstrated the role of underlying microvascularization in skin pigmentation, a finding that could open new fields of research for regulating physiological pigmentation and for treating pigmentation disorders such as melasma.

Telomeric repeat binding factor 2 (TRF2), which plays a central role in telomere capping, is frequently increased in human tumors. We reveal here that TRF2 is expressed in the vasculature of most human cancer types, where it colocalizes with the Wilms' tumor suppressor WT1. We further show that TRF2 is a transcriptional target of WT1 and is required for proliferation, migration, and tube formation of endothelial cells. These angiogenic effects of TRF2 are uncoupled from its function in telomere capping. Instead, TRF2 binds and transactivates the promoter of the angiogenic tyrosine kinase platelet-derived growth factor receptor β (PDGFRβ). These findings reveal an unexpected role of TRF2 in neoangiogenesis and delineate a distinct function of TRF2 as a transcriptional regulator.

Aristolochic acid (AA) causes aristolochic acid nephropathy (AAN), first described in women in Belgium accidently prescribed Aristolochia fangchi in a slimming treatment, and also Balkan endemic nephropathy (BEN), through probable dietary contamination with Aristolochia clematitis seeds. Both nephropathies have a high risk of urothelial cancer, with AA being the causative agent. In tissues of AAN and BEN patients, a distinct DNA adduct, 7-(deoxyadenosin-N 6 -yl)-aristolactam I (dA-AAI), has been detected. DNA adducts can be removed through DNA repair, they can result in mutations through erroneous DNA replication or they can cause cell death. The dA-AAI adduct induces AT to TA transversions in the tumor-suppressor TP53 gene in experimental systems, matching TP53 mutations observed in urothelial tumors from AAN cancer cases. Using thin-layer chromatography 32 P-postlabeling and mass spectrometric analysis we report the detection of dA-AAI in renal DNA from 11 Belgian AAN patients over 20 years after exposure to AA had ceased. Our results showed that dA-AAI is an established biomarker of AA exposure, and that this biomarker can be demonstrated to be persistent decades after a distinct AA exposure. Further, the persistence of dA-AAI adducts appears to be a critical determinant for the AA mutational fingerprint frequently found in oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes recently identified by whole genome sequencing of AA-associated urothelial tumors. The potential for exposure to AA worldwide is high; the unprecedented long-term persistence of dA-AAI provides a useful longterm biomarker of exposure and attests to the role of AA in human urothelial malignancy.