Biomedical subjects

Shiying Tao

Publications and source records attributed to Shiying Tao.

5 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2025

Glucose modulates IRF6 transcription factor dimerization to enable epidermal differentiation.

Non-energetic roles for glucose are largely unclear, as is the interplay between transcription factors (TFs) and ubiquitous biomolecules. Metabolomic analyses uncovered elevation of intracellular glucose during differentiation of diverse cell types. Human and mouse tissue engineered with glucose sensors detected a glucose gradient that peaked in the outermost differentiated layers of the epidermis. Free glucose accumulation was essential for epidermal differentiation and required the SGLT1 glucose transporter. Glucose affinity chromatography uncovered glucose binding to diverse regulatory proteins, including the IRF6 TF. Direct glucose binding enabled IRF6 dimerization, DNA binding, genomic localization, and induction of IRF6 target genes, including essential pro-differentiation TFs GRHL1, GRHL3, HOPX, and PRDM1. These data identify a role for glucose as a gradient morphogen that modulates protein multimerization in cellular differentiation.

Cell Differentiation↗

PubMed2005

CDK4 regulation by TNFR1 and JNK is required for NF-kappaB-mediated epidermal growth control.

Nuclear factor kappaB (NF-kappaB) mediates homeostatic growth inhibition in the epidermis, and a loss of NF-kappaB function promotes proliferation and oncogenesis. To identify mechanisms responsible for these effects, we impaired NF-kappaB action in the epidermis by three different genetic approaches, including conditional NF-kappaB blockade. In each case, epidermal hyperplasia was accompanied by an increase in both protein levels and tissue distribution of the G1 cell cycle kinase, CDK4. CDK4 up-regulation required intact TNFR1 and c-Jun NH2-terminal kinase (JNK) function. Cdk4 gene deletion concomitant with conditional NF-kappaB blockade demonstrated that CDK4 is required for growth deregulation. Therefore, epidermal homeostasis depends on antagonist regulation of CDK4 expression by NF-kappaB and TNFR1/JNK.

Animals↗

PubMed2004

NF-kappaB RelA opposes epidermal proliferation driven by TNFR1 and JNK.

NF-kappaB inhibition promotes epidermal tumorigenesis; however, whether this reflects an underlying role in homeostasis or a special case confined to neoplasia is unknown. Embryonic lethality of mice lacking NF-kappaB RelA has hindered efforts to address this. We therefore generated developmentally mature RelA(-/-) skin. RelA(-/-) epidermis displays hyperplasia without abnormal differentiation, inflammation, or apoptosis. Hyperproliferation is TNFR1-dependent because Tnfr1 deletion normalized cell division. TNFR1-dependent JNK activation occurred in RelA(-/-) epidermis, and JNK inhibition abolished hyperproliferation due to RelA deficiency. Thus, RelA antagonizes TNFR1-JNK proliferative signals in epidermis and plays a nonredundant role in restraining epidermal growth.

Animals↗

PubMed2003

NF-kappaB blockade and oncogenic Ras trigger invasive human epidermal neoplasia.

The nuclear factor NF-kappaB and oncogenic Ras can alter proliferation in epidermis, the most common site of human cancer. These proteins are implicated in epidermal squamous cell carcinoma in mice, however, the potential effects of altering their function are uncertain. Whereas inhibition of NF-kappaB enhances apoptosis in certain tumours, blockade of NF-kappaB predisposes murine skin to squamous cell carcinoma. Because therapeutics inhibiting Ras and NF-kappaB pathways are being developed to treat human cancer, it is essential to assess the effects of altering these regulators. The medical relevance of murine studies is limited, however, by differences between mouse and human skin, and by the greater ease of transforming murine cells. Here we show that in normal human epidermal cells both NF-kappaB and oncogenic Ras trigger cell-cycle arrest. Growth arrest triggered by oncogenic Ras can be bypassed by IkappaBalpha-mediated blockade of NF-kappaB, generating malignant human epidermal tissue resembling squamous cell carcinoma. Human cell tumorigenesis is dependent on laminin 5 and alpha6beta4 integrin. Thus, IkappaBalpha circumvents restraints on growth promotion induced by oncogenic Ras and can act with Ras to induce invasive human tissue neoplasia.

Animals↗

PubMed2002

CDK4 coexpression with Ras generates malignant human epidermal tumorigenesis.

Ras acts with other proteins to induce neoplasia. By itself, however, strong Ras signaling can suppress proliferation of normal cells. In primary epidermal cells, we found that oncogenic Ras transiently decreases cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) 4 expression in association with cell cycle arrest in G1 phase. CDK4 co-expression circumvents Ras growth suppression and induces invasive human neoplasia resembling squamous cell carcinoma. Tumorigenesis is dependent on CDK4 kinase function, with cyclin D1 required but not sufficient for this process. In facilitating escape from G1 growth restraints, Ras and CDK4 alter the composition of cyclin D and cyclin E complexes and promote resistance to growth inhibition by INK4 cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitors. These data identify a new role for oncogenic Ras in CDK4 regulation and highlight the functional importance of CDK4 suppression in preventing uncontrolled growth.

Animals↗