Mechano-dependent sorbitol accumulation supports biomolecular condensate
Posted on: 7 September 2023 , updated on: 14 September 2023
Preprint posted on 25 July 2023
Intriguing insight into the crosstalk between matrix stiffness and metabolism
Selected by Teodora PiskovaCategories: biochemistry, cancer biology, cell biology
Introduction
The discipline of mechanobiology has been gaining attention over the past decade. Seminal papers have demonstrated the influence of culture substrate stiffness on cell migration1 and stem cell differentiation2. Multiple players integrate mechanical cues from the cellular environment into the transcriptional programme of cells, such as mechanosensitive transcriptional factors like YAP/TAZ5. Recent work revealed that extracellular matrix (ECM) stiffness also regulates cellular metabolism6–8 and antioxidant sensitivity of cancer cells9. This preprint by Torrino and colleagues focuses on the influence of the mechanical properties of the ECM on the formation of biomolecular condensates.
Biomolecular condensates are assemblies of molecules that concentrate biomolecules by liquid-liquid phase separation10. These membrane-less assemblies facilitate homeostatic responses at different scales11 and play a fundamental role in the formation of solid aggregates and fibrils, which are implicated in diseases like Alzheimer’s and cancer12. In cancer, ECM stiffening is now a well-recognized phenomenon that contributes to tumour progression and metastasis13,14. However, how this stiffening may fine-tune metabolism to regulate condensate formation and the follow-up pathological transcriptional activity poses an open question that this preprint tries to tackle.
Key findings
Matrix stiffening enhances phase separation of biomolecular condensates by activating the polyol pathway
To investigate the influence of ECM stiffness on protein condensate formation, the authors cultured breast cancer cells on hydrogels of different stiffnesses (1 to 50 kPa) and observed the presence of YAP/TAZ aggregates which undergo phase separation. Higher ECM stiffness promoted increased number of cells bearing condensates, increased condensate number per cell and enhanced condensate intensity. Active reduction of contraction on the stiff substrate reduced condensate density similarly to growth on soft substrates.
Previous studies showed that glucose metabolism responds to mechanical cues with glycolysis being upregulated on stiffer substrates7. Hence the authors examined glucose metabolism in attempt to understand what mechanism may facilitate condensate precipitation. Stable tracing of [U-13C] glucose in cells cultured on substrates of different stiffnesses revealed increased glucose influx and higher levels of glucose-derived sorbitol, a well-known crowding agent, in response to matrix stiffening. Moreover, there was a dose-dependent relationship between stiffness and intracellular sorbitol levels.
Altogether, these results demonstrate that ECM stiffness promotes higher biological condensates formation by upregulating sorbitol production in the polyol pathway.
Mechano-dependent biomolecular condensate formation relies on intracellular sorbitol
To explain the molecular mechanism of condensate stabilization by sorbitol, the authors employed a multiscale modelling approach of molecular dynamics simulations. The approach involved simulations on two length-scales – at atomistic and residue resolution. First, atomistic potential-of-mean-force (PMF) simulations allowed to examine the interaction strength between amino acid pairs at different glucose and sorbitol concentrations. Simulations demonstrated that sorbitol changes the properties of the solvent in two ways. In presence of 100 mM sorbitol, the solvent acquires a higher affinity for π-rich residues and lower affinity for charged and spacer residues, which strengthens associative electrostatic interactions within the protein. At residue resolution, the authors used the PMF binding energies to simulate the interactions of a large set of proteins in a coarse-grained residue interaction simulation. Here, they discovered that the addition of sorbitol, but not glucose, increased the critical temperature of TAZ condensates, promoting more stable TAZ protein condensates.
To validate the prediction of their simulations, the authors next performed phase separation assays with different purified proteins known to form condensates. Consistent with their in-silico results, higher sorbitol concentrations increased solution turbidity and promoted droplet aggregation of the GFP-tagged proteins. Further, to examine if mechano-induced protein condensates depend on the mechanosensitive polyol pathway, the authors manipulated sorbitol concentrations in cells cultured on soft vs stiff substrates by silencing enzymes involved in sorbitol synthesis and conversion. Inhibiting sorbitol’s conversion into fructose or inhibiting glucose conversion into sorbitol, respectively led to increased or decreased accumulation of TAZ condensates in cells cultured on soft substrates and affected promoter occupancy by TAZ.
In summary, the authors show by simulations and experiments that upregulation of sorbitol is sufficient to promote condensate formation and that manipulating the polyol pathway modulates condensate formation.
Matrix stiffening promotes sorbitol-dependent protein condensates in breast cancer models
To highlight the context where their findings are highly relevant, the authors examined the prevalence of biological condensates in biopsies of breast cancer patients. They could show that the number of observed aggregates correlates with collagen type I depositions as an indicator of ECM stiffening and with the number of ki67-positive, highly proliferative cells. Thus, protein condensates seem to be associated with highly proliferative and remodelled breast cancers.
Lastly, the authors tested if the stiffening of the tumour niche instructs cellular metabolism to enhance condensate formation in an orthotropic mouse model of breast cancer. Pharmacological inhibition of the lysyl-oxidase, which crosslinks fibrillar collagens and promotes ECM stiffening, allowed the authors to decrease ECM cues and to observe the metabolic consequences of perturbed ECM stiffening on condensate formation and tumour growth. Impaired ECM stiffening led to decreased intertumoral sorbitol, decreased accumulation of condensates and, most importantly, diminished tumour cell proliferation.
These results demonstrate the physiological relevance of this preprint’s findings in the context of breast cancer and a possible therapeutic application of modulating ECM stiffness in vivo to curb tumour growth.
What I like about this preprint
This preprint is fascinating to me because it reveals yet another aspect of how physical properties of the extracellular environment profoundly modulate metabolism. I am intrigued by biomolecular condensates, more so in the context of ageing and age-related diseases, and this work improves our fundamental understanding of the regulation of condensate formation. Lastly, the final experiment of the paper – in which the authors manipulated ECM stiffness in an animal and saw reduced severity of tumour progression – is a beautiful example of how mechanobiology-inspired therapeutical approaches can yield promising results and should be considered as cancer treatment strategies in future.
Questions for the authors
Since sorbitol increases macromolecular crowding, I was wondering what happens to the mechanical properties of the cells. Do their viscoelastic properties change due to increased sorbitol levels?
You showed that targeting ECM stiffness can reduce tumour growth in mouse. Can you envision a therapeutical intervention at the metabolic level, targeting the polyol pathway, instead of the ECM? If not, why would that be challenging?
What more global significance, besides in cancer, can you envision for the findings of your work? Can this mechanism be applied to understand the formation of pathological aggregates like amyloids?
References
- Lo, C.-M., Wang, H.-B., Dembo, M. & Wang, Y. Cell Movement Is Guided by the Rigidity of the Substrate. Biophys. J. 79, 144–152 (2000).
- Engler, A. J., Sen, S., Sweeney, H. L. & Discher, D. E. Matrix Elasticity Directs Stem Cell Lineage Specification. Cell 126, 677–689 (2006).
- ffrench-Constant, C. & Colognato, H. Integrins: versatile integrators of extracellular signals. Trends Cell Biol. 14, 678–686 (2004).
- Kirby, T. J. & Lammerding, J. Emerging views of the nucleus as a cellular mechanosensor. Nat. Cell Biol. 20, 373–381 (2018).
- Panciera, T., Azzolin, L., Cordenonsi, M. & Piccolo, S. Mechanobiology of YAP and TAZ in physiology and disease. Nat. Rev. Mol. Cell Biol. 18, 758–770 (2017).
- Bertero, T. et al. Tumor-Stroma Mechanics Coordinate Amino Acid Availability to Sustain Tumor Growth and Malignancy. Cell Metab. 29, 124-140.e10 (2019).
- Park, J. S. et al. Mechanical regulation of glycolysis via cytoskeleton architecture. Nature 578, 621–626 (2020).
- Bays, J. L., Campbell, H. K., Heidema, C., Sebbagh, M. & DeMali, K. A. Linking E-cadherin mechanotransduction to cell metabolism through force mediated activation of AMPK. Nat. cell Biol. 19, 724–731 (2017).
- Romani, P. et al. Mitochondrial fission links ECM mechanotransduction to metabolic redox homeostasis and metastatic chemotherapy resistance. Nat. Cell Biol. 24, 168–180 (2022).
- Banani, S. F., Lee, H. O., Hyman, A. A. & Rosen, M. K. Biomolecular condensates: organizers of cellular biochemistry. Nat. Rev. Mol. Cell Biol. 18, 285–298 (2017).
- Lyon, A. S., Peeples, W. B. & Rosen, M. K. A framework for understanding the functions of biomolecular condensates across scales. Nat. Rev. Mol. Cell Biol. 22, 215–235 (2021).
- Alberti, S. & Hyman, A. A. Biomolecular condensates at the nexus of cellular stress, protein aggregation disease and ageing. Nat. Rev. Mol. Cell Biol. 22, 196–213 (2021).
- Levental, K. R. et al. Matrix Crosslinking Forces Tumor Progression by Enhancing Integrin Signaling. Cell 139, 891–906 (2009).
- Kai, F., Laklai, H. & Weaver, V. M. Force Matters: Biomechanical Regulation of Cell Invasion and Migration in Disease. Trends Cell Biol. 26, 486–497 (2016).
doi: https://doi.org/10.1242/prelights.35514
Read preprintSign up to customise the site to your preferences and to receive alerts
Register hereAlso in the biochemistry category:
Triglyceride metabolism controls inflammation and APOE4-associated disease states in microglia
Gustavo Stelzer, Marcus Oliveira
Impaired 26S proteasome causes learning and memory deficiency and induces neuroinflammation mediated by NF-κB in mice
Gustavo Stelzer, Marcus Oliveira
Notch3 is a genetic modifier of NODAL signalling for patterning asymmetry during mouse heart looping
Bhaval Parmar
Also in the cancer biology category:
Integrin conformation-dependent neutrophil slowing obstructs the capillaries of the pre-metastatic lung in a model of breast cancer
Simon Cleary
Mitochondria-derived nuclear ATP surge protects against confinement-induced proliferation defects
Teodora Piskova
Spatial transcriptomics elucidates medulla niche supporting germinal center response in myasthenia gravis thymoma
Jessica Chevallier
Also in the cell biology category:
Motor Clustering Enhances Kinesin-driven Vesicle Transport
Sharvari Pitke
Cellular signalling protrusions enable dynamic distant contacts in spinal cord neurogenesis
Ankita Walvekar
Green synthesized silver nanoparticles from Moringa: Potential for preventative treatment of SARS-CoV-2 contaminated water
Safieh Shah, Benjamin Dominik Maier
preListsbiochemistry category:
in theBSCB-Biochemical Society 2024 Cell Migration meeting
This preList features preprints that were discussed and presented during the BSCB-Biochemical Society 2024 Cell Migration meeting in Birmingham, UK in April 2024. Kindly put together by Sara Morais da Silva, Reviews Editor at Journal of Cell Science.
List by | Reinier Prosee |
Peer Review in Biomedical Sciences
Communication of scientific knowledge has changed dramatically in recent decades and the public perception of scientific discoveries depends on the peer review process of articles published in scientific journals. Preprints are key vehicles for the dissemination of scientific discoveries, but they are still not properly recognized by the scientific community since peer review is very limited. On the other hand, peer review is very heterogeneous and a fundamental aspect to improve it is to train young scientists on how to think critically and how to evaluate scientific knowledge in a professional way. Thus, this course aims to: i) train students on how to perform peer review of scientific manuscripts in a professional manner; ii) develop students' critical thinking; iii) contribute to the appreciation of preprints as important vehicles for the dissemination of scientific knowledge without restrictions; iv) contribute to the development of students' curricula, as their opinions will be published and indexed on the preLights platform. The evaluations will be based on qualitative analyses of the oral presentations of preprints in the field of biomedical sciences deposited in the bioRxiv server, of the critical reports written by the students, as well as of the participation of the students during the preprints discussions.
List by | Marcus Oliveira et al. |
CellBio 2022 – An ASCB/EMBO Meeting
This preLists features preprints that were discussed and presented during the CellBio 2022 meeting in Washington, DC in December 2022.
List by | Nadja Hümpfer et al. |
20th “Genetics Workshops in Hungary”, Szeged (25th, September)
In this annual conference, Hungarian geneticists, biochemists and biotechnologists presented their works. Link: http://group.szbk.u-szeged.hu/minikonf/archive/prg2021.pdf
List by | Nándor Lipták |
Fibroblasts
The advances in fibroblast biology preList explores the recent discoveries and preprints of the fibroblast world. Get ready to immerse yourself with this list created for fibroblasts aficionados and lovers, and beyond. Here, my goal is to include preprints of fibroblast biology, heterogeneity, fate, extracellular matrix, behavior, topography, single-cell atlases, spatial transcriptomics, and their matrix!
List by | Osvaldo Contreras |
ASCB EMBO Annual Meeting 2019
A collection of preprints presented at the 2019 ASCB EMBO Meeting in Washington, DC (December 7-11)
List by | Madhuja Samaddar et al. |
EMBL Seeing is Believing – Imaging the Molecular Processes of Life
Preprints discussed at the 2019 edition of Seeing is Believing, at EMBL Heidelberg from the 9th-12th October 2019
List by | Dey Lab |
Cellular metabolism
A curated list of preprints related to cellular metabolism at Biorxiv by Pablo Ranea Robles from the Prelights community. Special interest on lipid metabolism, peroxisomes and mitochondria.
List by | Pablo Ranea Robles |
MitoList
This list of preprints is focused on work expanding our knowledge on mitochondria in any organism, tissue or cell type, from the normal biology to the pathology.
List by | Sandra Franco Iborra |
Also in the cancer biology category:
BSCB-Biochemical Society 2024 Cell Migration meeting
This preList features preprints that were discussed and presented during the BSCB-Biochemical Society 2024 Cell Migration meeting in Birmingham, UK in April 2024. Kindly put together by Sara Morais da Silva, Reviews Editor at Journal of Cell Science.
List by | Reinier Prosee |
CSHL 87th Symposium: Stem Cells
Preprints mentioned by speakers at the #CSHLsymp23
List by | Alex Eve |
Journal of Cell Science meeting ‘Imaging Cell Dynamics’
This preList highlights the preprints discussed at the JCS meeting 'Imaging Cell Dynamics'. The meeting was held from 14 - 17 May 2023 in Lisbon, Portugal and was organised by Erika Holzbaur, Jennifer Lippincott-Schwartz, Rob Parton and Michael Way.
List by | Helen Zenner |
CellBio 2022 – An ASCB/EMBO Meeting
This preLists features preprints that were discussed and presented during the CellBio 2022 meeting in Washington, DC in December 2022.
List by | Nadja Hümpfer et al. |
Fibroblasts
The advances in fibroblast biology preList explores the recent discoveries and preprints of the fibroblast world. Get ready to immerse yourself with this list created for fibroblasts aficionados and lovers, and beyond. Here, my goal is to include preprints of fibroblast biology, heterogeneity, fate, extracellular matrix, behavior, topography, single-cell atlases, spatial transcriptomics, and their matrix!
List by | Osvaldo Contreras |
Single Cell Biology 2020
A list of preprints mentioned at the Wellcome Genome Campus Single Cell Biology 2020 meeting.
List by | Alex Eve |
ASCB EMBO Annual Meeting 2019
A collection of preprints presented at the 2019 ASCB EMBO Meeting in Washington, DC (December 7-11)
List by | Madhuja Samaddar et al. |
Lung Disease and Regeneration
This preprint list compiles highlights from the field of lung biology.
List by | Rob Hynds |
Anticancer agents: Discovery and clinical use
Preprints that describe the discovery of anticancer agents and their clinical use. Includes both small molecules and macromolecules like biologics.
List by | Zhang-He Goh |
Biophysical Society Annual Meeting 2019
Few of the preprints that were discussed in the recent BPS annual meeting at Baltimore, USA
List by | Joseph Jose Thottacherry |
Also in the cell biology category:
BSCB-Biochemical Society 2024 Cell Migration meeting
This preList features preprints that were discussed and presented during the BSCB-Biochemical Society 2024 Cell Migration meeting in Birmingham, UK in April 2024. Kindly put together by Sara Morais da Silva, Reviews Editor at Journal of Cell Science.
List by | Reinier Prosee |
‘In preprints’ from Development 2022-2023
A list of the preprints featured in Development's 'In preprints' articles between 2022-2023
List by | Alex Eve, Katherine Brown |
preLights peer support – preprints of interest
This is a preprint repository to organise the preprints and preLights covered through the 'preLights peer support' initiative.
List by | preLights peer support |
The Society for Developmental Biology 82nd Annual Meeting
This preList is made up of the preprints discussed during the Society for Developmental Biology 82nd Annual Meeting that took place in Chicago in July 2023.
List by | Joyce Yu, Katherine Brown |
CSHL 87th Symposium: Stem Cells
Preprints mentioned by speakers at the #CSHLsymp23
List by | Alex Eve |
Journal of Cell Science meeting ‘Imaging Cell Dynamics’
This preList highlights the preprints discussed at the JCS meeting 'Imaging Cell Dynamics'. The meeting was held from 14 - 17 May 2023 in Lisbon, Portugal and was organised by Erika Holzbaur, Jennifer Lippincott-Schwartz, Rob Parton and Michael Way.
List by | Helen Zenner |
9th International Symposium on the Biology of Vertebrate Sex Determination
This preList contains preprints discussed during the 9th International Symposium on the Biology of Vertebrate Sex Determination. This conference was held in Kona, Hawaii from April 17th to 21st 2023.
List by | Martin Estermann |
Alumni picks – preLights 5th Birthday
This preList contains preprints that were picked and highlighted by preLights Alumni - an initiative that was set up to mark preLights 5th birthday. More entries will follow throughout February and March 2023.
List by | Sergio Menchero et al. |
CellBio 2022 – An ASCB/EMBO Meeting
This preLists features preprints that were discussed and presented during the CellBio 2022 meeting in Washington, DC in December 2022.
List by | Nadja Hümpfer et al. |
Fibroblasts
The advances in fibroblast biology preList explores the recent discoveries and preprints of the fibroblast world. Get ready to immerse yourself with this list created for fibroblasts aficionados and lovers, and beyond. Here, my goal is to include preprints of fibroblast biology, heterogeneity, fate, extracellular matrix, behavior, topography, single-cell atlases, spatial transcriptomics, and their matrix!
List by | Osvaldo Contreras |
EMBL Synthetic Morphogenesis: From Gene Circuits to Tissue Architecture (2021)
A list of preprints mentioned at the #EESmorphoG virtual meeting in 2021.
List by | Alex Eve |
FENS 2020
A collection of preprints presented during the virtual meeting of the Federation of European Neuroscience Societies (FENS) in 2020
List by | Ana Dorrego-Rivas |
Planar Cell Polarity – PCP
This preList contains preprints about the latest findings on Planar Cell Polarity (PCP) in various model organisms at the molecular, cellular and tissue levels.
List by | Ana Dorrego-Rivas |
BioMalPar XVI: Biology and Pathology of the Malaria Parasite
[under construction] Preprints presented at the (fully virtual) EMBL BioMalPar XVI, 17-18 May 2020 #emblmalaria
List by | Dey Lab, Samantha Seah |
1
Cell Polarity
Recent research from the field of cell polarity is summarized in this list of preprints. It comprises of studies focusing on various forms of cell polarity ranging from epithelial polarity, planar cell polarity to front-to-rear polarity.
List by | Yamini Ravichandran |
TAGC 2020
Preprints recently presented at the virtual Allied Genetics Conference, April 22-26, 2020. #TAGC20
List by | Maiko Kitaoka et al. |
3D Gastruloids
A curated list of preprints related to Gastruloids (in vitro models of early development obtained by 3D aggregation of embryonic cells). Updated until July 2021.
List by | Paul Gerald L. Sanchez and Stefano Vianello |
ECFG15 – Fungal biology
Preprints presented at 15th European Conference on Fungal Genetics 17-20 February 2020 Rome
List by | Hiral Shah |
ASCB EMBO Annual Meeting 2019
A collection of preprints presented at the 2019 ASCB EMBO Meeting in Washington, DC (December 7-11)
List by | Madhuja Samaddar et al. |
EMBL Seeing is Believing – Imaging the Molecular Processes of Life
Preprints discussed at the 2019 edition of Seeing is Believing, at EMBL Heidelberg from the 9th-12th October 2019
List by | Dey Lab |
Autophagy
Preprints on autophagy and lysosomal degradation and its role in neurodegeneration and disease. Includes molecular mechanisms, upstream signalling and regulation as well as studies on pharmaceutical interventions to upregulate the process.
List by | Sandra Malmgren Hill |
Lung Disease and Regeneration
This preprint list compiles highlights from the field of lung biology.
List by | Rob Hynds |
Cellular metabolism
A curated list of preprints related to cellular metabolism at Biorxiv by Pablo Ranea Robles from the Prelights community. Special interest on lipid metabolism, peroxisomes and mitochondria.
List by | Pablo Ranea Robles |
BSCB/BSDB Annual Meeting 2019
Preprints presented at the BSCB/BSDB Annual Meeting 2019
List by | Dey Lab |
MitoList
This list of preprints is focused on work expanding our knowledge on mitochondria in any organism, tissue or cell type, from the normal biology to the pathology.
List by | Sandra Franco Iborra |
ASCB/EMBO Annual Meeting 2018
This list relates to preprints that were discussed at the recent ASCB conference.
List by | Dey Lab, Amanda Haage |