Periodic Reporting for period 1 - WntTraffic (Characterising the spatial organisation and regulation of the Wnt receptor complex in stem cells and cancer)
Reporting period: 2016-04-01 to 2018-03-31
Leucine rich repeat G–protein coupled receptor 5 (Lgr5) is a Wnt pathway receptor that serves as a molecular determinant of stem cells with its ligand R-spondin (RSPO). Despite its importance as a marker for this critical niche, little is known about Lgr5 trafficking and it’s signalling which may be intimately linked. This information is crucial to understand how stem cells perceive and respond to their environment and ultimately for developing specific and successful anticancer strategies.
The key objective of this project was to resolve early critical molecular details that drive Wnt signalling in stem and cancer cells. Utilizing a novel tool, SNAP-tagged Lgr5, we were able to exclusively track the cell membrane subpopulation of the Lgr5 from early molecular events that occur immediately after receptor activation such as endocytosis through to late events such as lysosomal degradation. These experiments led to formulation of a trafficking model of Lgr5 in an unbound and a ligand-bound state. Moreover, insights into interactions with Wnt signalling players, such as RNF43 and Wnt receptor complex components, have been gained. Future studies based on our findings will help detailed characterization of the stem cell marker Lgr5 and may provide further understanding of the molecular mechanism of Lgr5-RSPO-induced Wnt pathway activation in stem cells and cancer.
Studying the regulation of Lgr5 receptor trafficking and turnover in polarised cells of organoids has helped solve the specific endocytic pathways that are taken by Lgr5 in steady and activated states in primary stem cells of complex tissues. These results are vital to our knowledge of how stem cell receptor activity is regulated in vivo and for further understanding how stem and differentiated cells organise, process and tune signalling events. This crucial information gives clues to the therapeutic potential of stem cells in the repair of diseased tissue and facilitate improvements in cancer treatment, including new targets and systems for drug screening purposes.