Emergence of MUC1 in Mammals for Adaptation of Barrier Epithelia

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Abstract

The mucin 1 (MUC1) gene was discovered based on its overexpression in human breast cancers. Subsequent work demonstrated that MUC1 is aberrantly expressed in cancers originating from other diverse organs, including skin and immune cells. These findings supported a role for MUC1 in the adaptation of barrier tissues to infection and environmental stress. Of fundamental importance for this evolutionary adaptation was inclusion of a SEA domain, which catalyzes autoproteolysis of the MUC1 protein and formation of a non-covalent heterodimeric complex. The resulting MUC1 heterodimer is poised at the apical cell membrane to respond to loss of homeostasis. Disruption of the complex releases the MUC1 N-terminal (MUC1-N) subunit into a protective mucous gel. Conversely, the transmembrane C-terminal (MUC1-C) subunit activates a program of lineage plasticity, epigenetic reprogramming and repair. This MUC1-C-activated program apparently evolved for barrier tissues to mount self-regulating proliferative, inflammatory and remodeling responses associated with wound healing. Emerging evidence indicates that MUC1-C underpins inflammatory adaptation of tissue stem cells and immune cells in the barrier niche. This review focuses on how prolonged activation of MUC1-C by chronic inflammation in these niches promotes the cancer stem cell (CSC) state by establishing auto-inductive nodes that drive self-renewal and tumorigenicity.

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Chronic inflammation in the etiology of disease across the life span

David Furman, Judith Campisi, Eric Verdin … (2019)

Although intermittent increases in inflammation are critical for survival during physical injury and infection, recent research has revealed that certain social, environmental and lifestyle factors can promote systemic chronic inflammation (SCI) that can, in turn, lead to several diseases that collectively represent the leading causes of disability and mortality worldwide, such as cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes mellitus, chronic kidney disease, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and autoimmune and neurodegenerative disorders. In the present Perspective we describe the multi-level mechanisms underlying SCI and several risk factors that promote this health-damaging phenotype, including infections, physical inactivity, poor diet, environmental and industrial toxicants and psychological stress. Furthermore, we suggest potential strategies for advancing the early diagnosis, prevention and treatment of SCI.

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Inflammation and Cancer: Triggers, Mechanisms, and Consequences

Florian Greten, Sergei I. Grivennikov (2019)

Inflammation predisposes to the development of cancer and promotes all stages of tumorigenesis. Cancer cells as well as surrounding stromal and inflammatory cells engage in well-orchestrated reciprocal interactions to form an inflammatory tumor microenvironment (TME). Cells within the TME are highly plastic, continuously changing their phenotypic and functional characteristics. Here we review the origins of inflammation in tumors, and the mechanisms whereby inflammation drives tumor initiation, growth, progression and metastasis. We discuss how tumor promoting inflammation closely resembles inflammatory processes typically found during development, immunity, maintenance of tissue homeostasis or tissue repair, and illuminate the distinctions between tissue-protective and pro-tumorigenic inflammation, including spatio-temporal considerations. Defining the cornerstone rules of engagement governing molecular and cellular mechanisms of tumor-promoting inflammation will be essential for the further development of anti-cancer therapies. Grivennikov and Greten review the mechanisms underlying the initiation of pro-tumorigenic inflammatory responses, how these evolve throughout the different stages of tumor development and the plasticity of the cells within the tumor microenvironment.