Biomedical subjects

Nicolas Skuli

Publications and source records attributed to Nicolas Skuli.

2 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2024

Oncogene-induced matrix reorganization controls CD8+ T cell function in the soft-tissue sarcoma microenvironment.

CD8+ T cell dysfunction impedes antitumor immunity in solid cancers, but the underlying mechanisms are diverse and poorly understood. Extracellular matrix (ECM) composition has been linked to impaired T cell migration and enhanced tumor progression; however, impacts of individual ECM molecules on T cell function in the tumor microenvironment (TME) are only beginning to be elucidated. Upstream regulators of aberrant ECM deposition and organization in solid tumors are equally ill-defined. Therefore, we investigated how ECM composition modulates CD8+ T cell function in undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma (UPS), an immunologically active desmoplastic tumor. Using an autochthonous murine model of UPS and data from multiple human patient cohorts, we discovered a multifaceted mechanism wherein the transcriptional coactivator YAP1 promotes collagen VI (COLVI) deposition in the UPS TME. In turn, COLVI induces CD8+ T cell dysfunction and immune evasion by remodeling fibrillar collagen and inhibiting T cell autophagic flux. Unexpectedly, collagen I (COLI) opposed COLVI in this setting, promoting CD8+ T cell function and acting as a tumor suppressor. Thus, CD8+ T cell responses in sarcoma depend on oncogene-mediated ECM composition and remodeling.

CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes↗

PubMed2006

Activation of RhoB by hypoxia controls hypoxia-inducible factor-1alpha stabilization through glycogen synthase kinase-3 in U87 glioblastoma cells.

Hypoxia is a crucial factor in tumor aggressiveness and resistance to treatment, particularly in glioma. Our previous results have shown that inhibiting the small GTPase RhoB increased oxygenation of U87 human glioblastoma xenografts, in part, by regulating angiogenesis. We investigated here whether RhoB might also control a signaling pathway that would permit glioma cells to adapt to hypoxia. We first showed that silencing RhoB with siRNA induced degradation and inhibition of the transcriptional activity of the hypoxia-inducible factor by the proteasome in U87 hypoxic cells. This RhoB-dependent degradation of hypoxia-inducible factor-1alpha in hypoxic conditions was mediated by the Akt/glycogen synthase kinase-3beta pathway. While investigating how hypoxia could activate this signaling pathway, using the GST-Rhotekin RBD pulldown assay, we showed the early activation of RhoB by reactive oxygen species under hypoxic conditions and, subsequently, its participation in the ensuing cellular adaptation to hypoxia. Overall, therefore, our results have not only highlighted a new signaling pathway for hypoxia controlled by the small GTPase RhoB, but they also strongly implicate RhoB as a potentially important therapeutic target for decreasing tumor hypoxia.

Cell Hypoxia↗