TY - JOUR A1 - Volland, Julian Manuel A1 - Kaupp, Johannes A1 - Schmitz, Werner A1 - Wünsch, Anna Chiara A1 - Balint, Julia A1 - Möllmann, Marc A1 - El-Mesery, Mohamed A1 - Frackmann, Kyra A1 - Peter, Leslie A1 - Hartmann, Stefan A1 - Kübler, Alexander Christian A1 - Seher, Axel T1 - Mass spectrometric metabolic fingerprinting of 2-Deoxy-D-Glucose (2-DG)-induced inhibition of glycolysis and comparative analysis of methionine restriction versus glucose restriction under perfusion culture in the murine L929 model system JF - International Journal of Molecular Sciences N2 - All forms of restriction, from caloric to amino acid to glucose restriction, have been established in recent years as therapeutic options for various diseases, including cancer. However, usually there is no direct comparison between the different restriction forms. Additionally, many cell culture experiments take place under static conditions. In this work, we used a closed perfusion culture in murine L929 cells over a period of 7 days to compare methionine restriction (MetR) and glucose restriction (LowCarb) in the same system and analysed the metabolome by liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (LC-MS). In addition, we analysed the inhibition of glycolysis by 2-deoxy-D-glucose (2-DG) over a period of 72 h. 2-DG induced very fast a low-energy situation by a reduced glycolysis metabolite flow rate resulting in pyruvate, lactate, and ATP depletion. Under perfusion culture, both MetR and LowCarb were established on the metabolic level. Interestingly, over the period of 7 days, the metabolome of MetR and LowCarb showed more similarities than differences. This leads to the conclusion that the conditioned medium, in addition to the different restriction forms, substantially reprogramm the cells on the metabolic level. KW - amino acid restriction KW - glucose restriction KW - mass spectrometry KW - low carb KW - 2-deoxy-D-glucose KW - 2-DG KW - methionine KW - perfusion culture KW - energy restriction KW - caloric restriction Y1 - 2022 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-286007 SN - 1422-0067 VL - 23 IS - 16 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Koderer, Corinna A1 - Schmitz, Werner A1 - Wünsch, Anna Chiara A1 - Balint, Julia A1 - El-Mesery, Mohamed A1 - Volland, Julian Manuel A1 - Hartmann, Stefan A1 - Linz, Christian A1 - Kübler, Alexander Christian A1 - Seher, Axel T1 - Low energy status under methionine restriction is essentially independent of proliferation or cell contact inhibition JF - Cells N2 - Nonlimited proliferation is one of the most striking features of neoplastic cells. The basis of cell division is the sufficient presence of mass (amino acids) and energy (ATP and NADH). A sophisticated intracellular network permanently measures the mass and energy levels. Thus, in vivo restrictions in the form of amino acid, protein, or caloric restrictions strongly affect absolute lifespan and age-associated diseases such as cancer. The induction of permanent low energy metabolism (LEM) is essential in this process. The murine cell line L929 responds to methionine restriction (MetR) for a short time period with LEM at the metabolic level defined by a characteristic fingerprint consisting of the molecules acetoacetate, creatine, spermidine, GSSG, UDP-glucose, pantothenate, and ATP. Here, we used mass spectrometry (LC/MS) to investigate the influence of proliferation and contact inhibition on the energy status of cells. Interestingly, the energy status was essentially independent of proliferation or contact inhibition. LC/MS analyses showed that in full medium, the cells maintain active and energetic metabolism for optional proliferation. In contrast, MetR induced LEM independently of proliferation or contact inhibition. These results are important for cell behaviour under MetR and for the optional application of restrictions in cancer therapy. KW - methionine restriction KW - caloric restriction KW - mass spectrometry KW - LC/MS KW - liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry KW - metabolomics KW - L929 KW - amino acid KW - proliferation KW - contact inhibition Y1 - 2022 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-262329 SN - 2073-4409 VL - 11 IS - 3 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Peixoto, Joana A1 - Janaki-Raman, Sudha A1 - Schlicker, Lisa A1 - Schmitz, Werner A1 - Walz, Susanne A1 - Winkelkotte, Alina M. A1 - Herold-Mende, Christel A1 - Soares, Paula A1 - Schulze, Almut A1 - Lima, Jorge T1 - Integrated metabolomics and transcriptomics analysis of monolayer and neurospheres from established glioblastoma cell lines JF - Cancers N2 - Altered metabolic processes contribute to carcinogenesis by modulating proliferation, survival and differentiation. Tumours are composed of different cell populations, with cancer stem-like cells being one of the most prominent examples. This specific pool of cells is thought to be responsible for cancer growth and recurrence and plays a particularly relevant role in glioblastoma (GBM), the most lethal form of primary brain tumours. Here, we have analysed the transcriptome and metabolome of an established GBM cell line (U87) and a patient-derived GBM stem-like cell line (NCH644) exposed to neurosphere or monolayer culture conditions. By integrating transcriptome and metabolome data, we identified key metabolic pathways and gene signatures that are associated with stem-like and differentiated states in GBM cells, and demonstrated that neurospheres and monolayer cells differ substantially in their metabolism and gene regulation. Furthermore, arginine biosynthesis was identified as the most significantly regulated pathway in neurospheres, although individual nodes of this pathway were distinctly regulated in the two cellular systems. Neurosphere conditions, as opposed to monolayer conditions, cause a transcriptomic and metabolic rewiring that may be crucial for the regulation of stem-like features, where arginine biosynthesis may be a key metabolic pathway. Additionally, TCGA data from GBM patients showed significant regulation of specific components of the arginine biosynthesis pathway, providing further evidence for the importance of this metabolic pathway in GBM. KW - glioblastoma KW - neurospheres KW - monolayer KW - metabolome KW - transcriptome KW - arginine metabolism Y1 - 2021 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-234110 SN - 2072-6694 VL - 13 IS - 6 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Hartmann, Oliver A1 - Reissland, Michaela A1 - Maier, Carina R. A1 - Fischer, Thomas A1 - Prieto-Garcia, Cristian A1 - Baluapuri, Apoorva A1 - Schwarz, Jessica A1 - Schmitz, Werner A1 - Garrido-Rodriguez, Martin A1 - Pahor, Nikolett A1 - Davies, Clare C. A1 - Bassermann, Florian A1 - Orian, Amir A1 - Wolf, Elmar A1 - Schulze, Almut A1 - Calzado, Marco A. A1 - Rosenfeldt, Mathias T. A1 - Diefenbacher, Markus E. T1 - Implementation of CRISPR/Cas9 Genome Editing to Generate Murine Lung Cancer Models That Depict the Mutational Landscape of Human Disease JF - Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology N2 - Lung cancer is the most common cancer worldwide and the leading cause of cancer-related deaths in both men and women. Despite the development of novel therapeutic interventions, the 5-year survival rate for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients remains low, demonstrating the necessity for novel treatments. One strategy to improve translational research is the development of surrogate models reflecting somatic mutations identified in lung cancer patients as these impact treatment responses. With the advent of CRISPR-mediated genome editing, gene deletion as well as site-directed integration of point mutations enabled us to model human malignancies in more detail than ever before. Here, we report that by using CRISPR/Cas9-mediated targeting of Trp53 and KRas, we recapitulated the classic murine NSCLC model Trp53fl/fl:lsl-KRasG12D/wt. Developing tumors were indistinguishable from Trp53fl/fl:lsl-KRasG12D/wt-derived tumors with regard to morphology, marker expression, and transcriptional profiles. We demonstrate the applicability of CRISPR for tumor modeling in vivo and ameliorating the need to use conventional genetically engineered mouse models. Furthermore, tumor onset was not only achieved in constitutive Cas9 expression but also in wild-type animals via infection of lung epithelial cells with two discrete AAVs encoding different parts of the CRISPR machinery. While conventional mouse models require extensive husbandry to integrate new genetic features allowing for gene targeting, basic molecular methods suffice to inflict the desired genetic alterations in vivo. Utilizing the CRISPR toolbox, in vivo cancer research and modeling is rapidly evolving and enables researchers to swiftly develop new, clinically relevant surrogate models for translational research. KW - non-small cell lung cancer KW - CRISPR-Cas9 KW - mouse model KW - lung cancer KW - MYC KW - JUN Y1 - 2021 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-230949 SN - 2296-634X VL - 9 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Peter, Stefanie A1 - Bultinck, Jennyfer A1 - Myant, Kevin A1 - Jaenicke, Laura A. A1 - Walz, Susanne A1 - Müller, Judith A1 - Gmachl, Michael A1 - Treu, Matthias A1 - Boehmelt, Guido A1 - Ade, Casten P. A1 - Schmitz, Werner A1 - Wiegering, Armin A1 - Otto, Christoph A1 - Popov, Nikita A1 - Sansom, Owen A1 - Kraut, Norbert A1 - Eilers, Martin T1 - H Tumor cell-specific inhibition of MYC function using small molecule inhibitors of the HUWE1 ubiquitin ligase JF - EMBO Molecular Medicine N2 - Deregulated expression of MYC is a driver of colorectal carcinogenesis, necessitating novel strategies to inhibit MYC function. The ubiquitin ligase HUWE1 (HECTH9, ARF-BP1, MULE) associates with both MYC and the MYC-associated protein MIZ1. We show here that HUWE1 is required for growth of colorectal cancer cells in culture and in orthotopic xenograft models. Using high-throughput screening, we identify small molecule inhibitors of HUWE1, which inhibit MYC-dependent transactivation in colorectal cancer cells, but not in stem and normal colon epithelial cells. Inhibition of HUWE1 stabilizes MIZ1. MIZ1 globally accumulates on MYC target genes and contributes to repression of MYC-activated target genes upon HUWE1 inhibition. Our data show that transcriptional activation by MYC in colon cancer cells requires the continuous degradation of MIZ1 and identify a novel principle that allows for inhibition of MYC function in tumor cells. KW - colorectal cancer KW - HUWE1 KW - MIZ1 KW - MYC KW - ubiquitination KW - cancer KW - digestive system KW - pharmacology KW - drug discovery Y1 - 2014 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-118132 SN - 1757-4684 VL - 6 IS - 12 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Jeanclos, Elisabeth A1 - Schlötzer, Jan A1 - Hadamek, Kerstin A1 - Yuan-Chen, Natalia A1 - Alwahsh, Mohammad A1 - Hollmann, Robert A1 - Fratz, Stefanie A1 - Yesilyurt-Gerhards, Dilan A1 - Frankenbach, Tina A1 - Engelmann, Daria A1 - Keller, Angelika A1 - Kaestner, Alexandra A1 - Schmitz, Werner A1 - Neuenschwander, Martin A1 - Hergenröder, Roland A1 - Sotriffer, Christoph A1 - von Kries, Jens Peter A1 - Schindelin, Hermann A1 - Gohla, Antje T1 - Glycolytic flux control by drugging phosphoglycolate phosphatase JF - Nature Communications N2 - Targeting the intrinsic metabolism of immune or tumor cells is a therapeutic strategy in autoimmunity, chronic inflammation or cancer. Metabolite repair enzymes may represent an alternative target class for selective metabolic inhibition, but pharmacological tools to test this concept are needed. Here, we demonstrate that phosphoglycolate phosphatase (PGP), a prototypical metabolite repair enzyme in glycolysis, is a pharmacologically actionable target. Using a combination of small molecule screening, protein crystallography, molecular dynamics simulations and NMR metabolomics, we discover and analyze a compound (CP1) that inhibits PGP with high selectivity and submicromolar potency. CP1 locks the phosphatase in a catalytically inactive conformation, dampens glycolytic flux, and phenocopies effects of cellular PGP-deficiency. This study provides key insights into effective and precise PGP targeting, at the same time validating an allosteric approach to control glycolysis that could advance discoveries of innovative therapeutic candidates. KW - phosphoglycolate phosphatase KW - glycolytic flux control KW - intrinsic metabolism Y1 - 2022 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-300928 VL - 13 IS - 1 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Klammert, Uwe A1 - Müller, Thomas D. A1 - Hellmann, Tina V. A1 - Wuerzler, Kristian K. A1 - Kotzsch, Alexander A1 - Schliermann, Anna A1 - Schmitz, Werner A1 - Kuebler, Alexander C. A1 - Sebald, Walter A1 - Nickel, Joachim T1 - GDF-5 can act as a context-dependent BMP-2 antagonist JF - BMC Biology N2 - Background Bone morphogenetic protein (BMP)-2 and growth and differentiation factor (GDF)-5 are two related transforming growth factor (TGF)-β family members with important functions in embryonic development and tissue homeostasis. BMP-2 is best known for its osteoinductive properties whereas GDF-5—as evident from its alternative name, cartilage derived morphogenetic protein 1—plays an important role in the formation of cartilage. In spite of these differences both factors signal by binding to the same subset of BMP receptors, raising the question how these different functionalities are generated. The largest difference in receptor binding is observed in the interaction with the type I receptor BMPR-IA. GDF-5, in contrast to BMP-2, shows preferential binding to the isoform BMPR-IB, which is abrogated by a single amino acid (A57R) substitution. The resulting variant, GDF-5 R57A, represents a “BMP-2 mimic” with respect to BMP receptor binding. In this study we thus wanted to analyze whether the two growth factors can induce distinct signals via an identically composed receptor. Results Unexpectedly and dependent on the cellular context, GDF-5 R57A showed clear differences in its activity compared to BMP-2. In ATDC-5 cells, both ligands induced alkaline phosphatase (ALP) expression with similar potency. But in C2C12 cells, the BMP-2 mimic GDF-5 R57A (and also wild-type GDF-5) clearly antagonized BMP-2-mediated ALP expression, despite signaling in both cell lines occurring solely via BMPR-IA. The BMP-2- antagonizing properties of GDF-5 and GDF-5 R57A could also be observed in vivo when implanting BMP-2 and either one of the two GDF-5 ligands simultaneously at heterotopic sites. Conclusions Although comparison of the crystal structures of the GDF-5 R57A:BMPR-IAEC- and BMP-2:BMPR-IAEC complex revealed small ligand-specific differences, these cannot account for the different signaling characteristics because the complexes seem identical in both differently reacting cell lines. We thus predict an additional component, most likely a not yet identified GDF-5-specific co-receptor, which alters the output of the signaling complexes. Hence the presence or absence of this component then switches GDF-5′s signaling capabilities to act either similar to BMP-2 or as a BMP-2 antagonist. These findings might shed new light on the role of GDF-5, e.g., in cartilage maintenance and/or limb development in that it might act as an inhibitor of signaling events initiated by other BMPs. KW - growth and differentiation factor 5 KW - ligand-receptor complex KW - crystal structure KW - antagonist Y1 - 2015 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-125550 VL - 13 IS - 77 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Thomas, Sarah A1 - Fiebig, Juliane E. A1 - Kuhn, Eva-Maria A1 - Mayer, Dominik S. A1 - Filbeck, Sebastian A1 - Schmitz, Werner A1 - Krischke, Markus A1 - Gropp, Roswitha A1 - Mueller, Thomas D. T1 - Design of glycoengineered IL-4 antagonists employing chemical and biosynthetic glycosylation JF - ACS Omega N2 - Interleukin-4 (IL-4) plays a key role in atopic diseases. It coordinates T-helper cell differentiation to subtype 2, thereby directing defense toward humoral immunity. Together with Interleukin-13, IL-4 further induces immunoglobulin class switch to IgE. Antibodies of this type activate mast cells and basophilic and eosinophilic granulocytes, which release pro-inflammatory mediators accounting for the typical symptoms of atopic diseases. IL-4 and IL-13 are thus major targets for pharmaceutical intervention strategies to treat atopic diseases. Besides neutralizing antibodies against IL-4, IL-13, or its receptors, IL-4 antagonists can present valuable alternatives. Pitrakinra, an Escherichia coli-derived IL-4 antagonist, has been evaluated in clinical trials for asthma treatment in the past; however, deficits such as short serum lifetime and potential immunogenicity among others stopped further development. To overcome such deficits, PEGylation of therapeutically important proteins has been used to increase the lifetime and proteolytic stability. As an alternative, glycoengineering is an emerging strategy used to improve pharmacokinetics of protein therapeutics. In this study, we have established different strategies to attach glycan moieties to defined positions in IL-4. Different chemical attachment strategies employing thiol chemistry were used to attach a glucose molecule at amino acid position 121, thereby converting IL-4 into a highly effective antagonist. To enhance the proteolytic stability of this IL-4 antagonist, additional glycan structures were introduced by glycoengineering utilizing eucaryotic expression. IL-4 antagonists with a combination of chemical and biosynthetic glycoengineering could be useful as therapeutic alternatives to IL-4 neutralizing antibodies already used to treat atopic diseases. KW - Interleukin-4 (IL-4) KW - atopic diseases KW - IL-4 antagonists KW - glycoengineering KW - biosynthetic glycosylation KW - chemical glycosylation Y1 - 2023 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-350278 SN - 2470-1343 VL - 8 IS - 28 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Schmitz, Werner A1 - Ries, Elena A1 - Koderer, Corinna A1 - Völter, Maximilian Friedrich A1 - Wünsch, Anna Chiara A1 - El-Mesery, Mohamed A1 - Frackmann, Kyra A1 - Kübler, Alexander Christian A1 - Linz, Christian A1 - Seher, Axel T1 - Cysteine restriction in murine L929 fibroblasts as an alternative strategy to methionine restriction in cancer therapy JF - International Journal of Molecular Sciences N2 - Methionine restriction (MetR) is an efficient method of amino acid restriction (AR) in cells and organisms that induces low energy metabolism (LEM) similar to caloric restriction (CR). The implementation of MetR as a therapy for cancer or other diseases is not simple since the elimination of a single amino acid in the diet is difficult. However, the in vivo turnover rate of cysteine is usually higher than the rate of intake through food. For this reason, every cell can enzymatically synthesize cysteine from methionine, which enables the use of specific enzymatic inhibitors. In this work, we analysed the potential of cysteine restriction (CysR) in the murine cell line L929. This study determined metabolic fingerprints using mass spectrometry (LC/MS). The profiles were compared with profiles created in an earlier work under MetR. The study was supplemented by proliferation studies using D-amino acid analogues and inhibitors of intracellular cysteine synthesis. CysR showed a proliferation inhibition potential comparable to that of MetR. However, the metabolic footprints differed significantly and showed that CysR does not induce classic LEM at the metabolic level. Nevertheless, CysR offers great potential as an alternative for decisive interventions in general and tumour metabolism at the metabolic level. KW - methionine restriction KW - cysteine restriction KW - mass spectrometry KW - LC/MS KW - cancer therapy KW - caloric restriction KW - homocysteine KW - amino acid analogues KW - cysteine synthase inhibitor Y1 - 2021 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-265486 SN - 1422-0067 VL - 22 IS - 21 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Oelschlaegel, Diana A1 - Weiss Sadan, Tommy A1 - Salpeter, Seth A1 - Krug, Sebastian A1 - Blum, Galia A1 - Schmitz, Werner A1 - Schulze, Almut A1 - Michl, Patrick T1 - Cathepsin inhibition modulates metabolism and polarization of tumor-associated macrophages JF - Cancers N2 - Stroma-infiltrating immune cells, such as tumor-associated macrophages (TAM), play an important role in regulating tumor progression and chemoresistance. These effects are mostly conveyed by secreted mediators, among them several cathepsin proteases. In addition, increasing evidence suggests that stroma-infiltrating immune cells are able to induce profound metabolic changes within the tumor microenvironment. In this study, we aimed to characterize the impact of cathepsins in maintaining the TAM phenotype in more detail. For this purpose, we investigated the molecular effects of pharmacological cathepsin inhibition on the viability and polarization of human primary macrophages as well as its metabolic consequences. Pharmacological inhibition of cathepsins B, L, and S using a novel inhibitor, GB111-NH\(_2\), led to changes in cellular recycling processes characterized by an increased expression of autophagy- and lysosome-associated marker genes and reduced adenosine triphosphate (ATP) content. Decreased cathepsin activity in primary macrophages further led to distinct changes in fatty acid metabolites associated with increased expression of key modulators of fatty acid metabolism, such as fatty acid synthase (FASN) and acid ceramidase (ASAH1). The altered fatty acid profile was associated with an increased synthesis of the pro-inflammatory prostaglandin PGE\(_2\), which correlated with the upregulation of numerous NF\(_k\)B-dependent pro-inflammatory mediators, including interleukin-1 (IL-1), interleukin-6 (IL-6), C-C motif chemokine ligand 2 (CCL2), and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNFα). Our data indicate a novel link between cathepsin activity and metabolic reprogramming in macrophages, demonstrated by a profound impact on autophagy and fatty acid metabolism, which facilitates a pro-inflammatory micromilieu generally associated with enhanced tumor elimination. These results provide a strong rationale for therapeutic cathepsin inhibition to overcome the tumor-promoting effects of the immune-evasive tumor micromilieu. KW - cathepsin KW - activity-based probes KW - tumor-associated macrophage KW - autophagy KW - lysosome KW - lipid metabolism KW - inflammation Y1 - 2020 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-213040 SN - 2072-6694 VL - 12 IS - 9 ER -