Accumulating evidence suggests that changes of the protein synthesis machinery alter translation of specific mRNAs and participate in malignant transformation. Here we show that protein kinase C α (PKCα) interacts with TRM61, the catalytic subunit of the TRM6/61 tRNA methyltransferase. The TRM6/61 complex is known to methylate the adenosine 58 of the initiator methionine tRNA (tRNAi(Met)), a nuclear post-transcriptional modification associated with the stabilization of this crucial component of the translation-initiation process. Depletion of TRM6/61 reduced proliferation and increased death of C6 glioma cells, effects that can be partially rescued by overexpression of tRNAi(Met). In contrast, elevated TRM6/61 expression regulated the translation of a subset of mRNAs encoding proteins involved in the tumorigenic process and increased the ability of C6 cells to form colonies in soft agar or spheres when grown in suspension. In TRM6/61/tRNAi(Met)-overexpressing cells, PKCα overexpression decreased tRNAi(Met) expression and both colony- and sphere-forming potentials. A concomitant increase in TRM6/TRM61 mRNA and tRNAi(Met) expression with decreased expression of PKCα mRNA was detected in highly aggressive glioblastoma multiforme as compared with Grade II/III glioblastomas, highlighting the clinical relevance of our findings. Altogether, we suggest that PKCα tightly controls TRM6/61 activity to prevent translation deregulation that would favor neoplastic development.
BackgroundThis last decade, a lot of emphasis has been placed on developing new cancer cell culture models, closer to in vivo condition, in order to test new drugs and therapies. In the case of colorectal cancer, the use of patient biopsies to seed 3D primary cultures and mimic tumor initiation necessitates the use of antibiotics to prevent microbial intestinal contamination. However, not only long term use of antibiotics may mask the presence of low levels of microbial contamination, it may also impact cancer cell phenotype.MethodsIn this study we tested the impact of penicillin-streptomycin cocktail addition in both monolayer and suspension culture. To ensure the reliability of our observations we used six different cell lines and each experiment was performed in triplicate. Results were analyzed with Student’s t test.ResultsWe show that penicillin–streptomycin cocktail inhibits the sphere-forming ability of six cancer cell lines in suspension culture though it has no impact in monolayer culture. We correlate this effect with a significant decrease of cancer stem cells pool which holds self-renewal potential.ConclusionsOverall, this study warns against systematic addition of antibiotics in growth medium and raises the interesting possibility of using antibiotics to target cancer stem cells.
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