Apoptotic epithelial cells signal to neighboring cells to induce dying cell extrusion by releasing sphingosine-1-phosphate.

Summary Background To maintain a protective barrier, epithelia extrude cells destined to die by contracting a band of actin and myosin. Although extrusion can remove cells triggered to die by apoptotic stimuli, to maintain constant cell numbers, epithelia extrude live cells, which later die by anoikis. Because transformed cells may override anoikis and survive after extrusion, the direction of extrusion has important consequences for the extruded cell’s fate. As most cells extrude apically, they are typically eliminated through the lumen, however, cells with upregulated survival signals that extrude basally could potentially invade the underlying tissue and migrate to other sites in the body. Results We found that oncogenic K-Ras cells predominantly extrude basally, rather than apically, in a cell-autonomous manner and can survive and proliferate following extrusion. Expressing K-RasV12 down-regulates the bioactive lipid Sphingosine 1-Phosphate (S1P) and its receptor S1P2, both of which are required for apical extrusion. Surprisingly, the S1P biosynthetic pathway is not affected, as the S1P precursor, sphingosine kinase, and the degradative enzymes S1P lyase and S1PP phosphatase are not significantly altered. Instead, we found that high levels of autophagy in extruding RasV12 cells leads to S1P degradation. Disruption of autophagy chemically or genetically in K-RasV12 cells rescues S1P localization and apical extrusion. Conclusions Oncogenic K-Ras cells down-regulate both S1P and its receptor S1P2 to promote basal extrusion. Because live basally extruding cells can survive and proliferate following extrusion, we propose that basal cell extrusion provides a novel mechanism for cells to exit the epithelium and initiate invasion into the surrounding tissues.

When epithelia become too crowded, some cells are extruded that later die. To extrude, a cell produces the lipid, Sphingosine 1-Phosphate (S1P), which activates S1P2 receptors in neighboring cells that seamlessly squeeze the cell out of the epithelium. Here, we find that extrusion defects can contribute to carcinogenesis and tumor progression. Tumors or epithelia lacking S1P2 cannot extrude cells apically and instead form apoptotic-resistant masses, possess poor barrier function, and shift extrusion basally beneath the epithelium, providing a potential mechanism for cell invasion. Exogenous S1P2 expression is sufficient to rescue apical extrusion, cell death, and reduce orthotopic pancreatic tumors and their metastases. Focal Adhesion Kinase (FAK) inhibitor can bypass extrusion defects and could, therefore, target pancreatic, lung, and colon tumors that lack S1P2 without affecting wild-type tissue.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.04069.001

Epithelia use a unique process called ‘cell extrusion’ to remove cells from a layer, while preserving their barrier function. Specifically, a cell destined to die triggers formation of an actin- and myosin-ring in the live neighboring epithelial cells surrounding it, which squeeze the dying cell out. During extrusion, the surrounding cells expand toward one another and meet to fill the gap left by the extruded cell. Recent studies have revealed new roles of extrusion in controlling developmental morphogenesis, maintaining homeostatic cell numbers, and how this process is usurped during bacterial pathogenesis. Here, we review recent advances in new processes that require cell extrusion and the signaling pathways controlling it.

HLA-DO/H2-O is a highly conserved, nonpolymorphic MHC class II-like molecule expressed in association with H2-M in thymic epithelial cells, B lymphocytes, and primary dendritic cells. The physiological function of DO remains unknown. The finding of cell maturation-dependent DO expression in B lymphocytes and dendritic cells suggests the possibility that H2-O functions to promote the presentation of exogenous Ag by attenuating presentation of endogenous self-peptides. In the current study, we report that H2-O−/− mice spontaneously develop high titers of IgG2a/c antinuclear Abs (ANAs) with specificity for dsDNA, ssDNA, and histones. Reconstitution of RAG1−/− mice with T and B cells from H2-O−/− or wild-type mice demonstrated that production of ANAs requires participation of CD4+ T cells from H2-O−/− mice. Bone marrow chimeras demonstrated that loss of H2-O expression in thymic epithelial cells did not induce ANAs, and that lack of H2-O expression in bone marrow-derived cells was sufficient to induce the autoimmune phenotype. Despite production of high titers of autoantibodies, H2-O−/− mice exhibit a delayed generation of humoral immunity to model Ags (OVA and keyhole limpet hemocyanin), affecting all major T-dependent Ig classes, including IgG2a/c. Ag presentation experiments demonstrated that presentation of exogenous Ag by H2-O−/− APC was inefficient as compared with wild-type APC. Thus, H2-O promotes immunity toward exogenous Ags while inhibiting autoimmunity. We suggest that H2-O, through spatially or temporally inhibiting H2-M, may enhance presentation of exogenous Ag by limiting newly generated MHC class II molecules from forming stable complexes with endogenous self-peptides.

1. Many clinical studies have suggested a relationship between oestrogen and insulin sensitivity. In the present study, HepG2 cells were divided into four groups: (i) control, incubated with 1 nmol/L insulin; (ii) the HI group, which was incubated with 100 nmol/L insulin to induce insulin resistance; (iii) the E2 group, in which control cells were incubated with 1 nmol/L insulin plus 1 nmol/L oestradiol; and (iv) the HI + E2 group, in which insulin-resistant cells were incubated with 100 nmol/L insulin + 1 nmol/L oestradiol. 2. A high concentration of insulin decreased the activity of phosphofructo-1-kinase (PFK), pyruvate dehydrogenase (PDH) and glycogen synthase (GS), as well as decreasing the expression of insulin receptor (IR) and insulin receptor substrate-2 (IRS-2). High insulin had no effect on glucose transport or the expression of insulin receptor-1 (IRS-1). 3. The addition of oestradiol to control cells increased glucose transport, the activity of PFK, PDH and GS and the expression of IRS-1 and IRS-2, but had no effect on the expression of IR. 4. Treatment of insulin-resistant HepG2 cells with oestradiol attenuated HI-induced decreases, except for IR, and the expression of IRS-1 was significantly higher than control, attaining levels seen in group 3. The expression of IRS-2 was significant higher than in insulin-resistant cells, but did not reach control levels. Changes in the activity of PFK, PDH and GS were the same as the changes seen in the expression of IRS-2. 5. These results suggest that high concentrations of insulin induce insulin resistance in HepG2 cells, whereas oestradiol improves glucose metabolism and insulin signal transduction of cells by enhancing the activity of key enzymes involved in glucose metabolism and the expression of IRS-1 and IRS-2.

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CT is a crucial factor for the islet-ductal cell transdifferentiation.