#2695 A Polycystin-1-Bicaudal C1 complex regulates focal adhesion function through integrin beta-1, F-actin organisation and local translation in HKE cells
Authors: Ong Albert , Valluru Manoj , Streets Andrew , Smith Devon 
Published: May 2024

Background and Aims

Variants in Bicc1, result in a recessive murine PKD phenotype (bpk, jcpk) by uncertain mechanisms. In a recent study, we reported genetic and biochemical evidence of novel interactions between PKD1, PKD2 and BICC1 in Xenopus, mouse and man suggesting that BICC1 is a modifier of the ADPKD phenotype (submitted). In this study, our major aim was to investigate the molecular mechanisms underlying cystogenesis that result from loss of the normal interaction between the PKD1 protein, Polycystin-1 (PC1), a cell surface receptor and Bicaudal C1 (BICC1), an RNA-binding protein.

Methods

Isogenic PKD1 and BICC1 CRISP-Cas9 KO cells were generated from a conditionally-immortalised wild-type human proximal tubular line (UCL93); RNA-seq was performed in PKD1 and BICC1 KO cells to identify commonly altered genes and pathways; MS pull-down was conducted in HEK293 cells with BICC1-HA to identify BICC1 interacting proteins; cellular phenotypes in normal and KO cells were assessed through adhesion and migration assays, alongside Traction Force Microscopy (TFM); proximal ligation assays (PLA) to confirm protein-protein interactions; single-molecule FISH (smFISH) to localize mRNA transcripts; puromycin labeling with a proximity ligation assay (Puro-PLA) to detect sites of translation of specific mRNAs.

Results

Consistent with a functional interaction, loss of PC1 resulted in lower BICC1 levels and vice-versa in single KO (SKO) cells. In migrating cells, BICC1 was expressed at the leading edge where it co-localised with β1-integrin (ITGB1) by PLA, suggesting enrichment at focal adhesion sites (FA). BICC1 KO cells had no cilia phenotype but instead displayed striking disorganization of stress fibres and aster-like structures, features which could be completely rescued by lentiviral Bicc1-HA re-expression. Gene set enrichment and pathway analysis confirmed that F-actin organization and actin-associated proteins (AAP) were commonly dysregulated in SKO cells. BICC1 was also found to interact ITGB1, several components of an integrin-associated complex and proteins involved in actin turnover by MS pull-down. Both SKO cells showed major abnormalities of cell attachment, detachment and directional migration indicative of functional alterations in cell-matrix and cell-cell adhesion. We confirmed that FA structure and function were altered by reduced co-localisation of several AAPs (including TNS1 and FBLIM1) and by TFM. BICC1 directly interacted with F-actin and FBLIM1 in pull-down assays and with FBLIM1 by RNA-IP. Finally, we found evidence of FBLIM1 mRNA by smFISH and of local FBLIM1 translation (Puro-PLA) at FA sites in wild-type cells, both of which were markedly reduced in SKO cells.

Conclusion

Our data reveal the key roles for actin dynamics and local translation as novel mechanisms regulated by PC1 and BICC1 in the pathogenesis of ADPKD. We demonstrate that BICC1 and PC1 are co-regulated, forming a PC1-BICC1 complex critical for maintaining the structural integrity and function of FAs in normal kidney epithelial cells. Loss of this interaction results in major alterations in cell adhesion, migration and stress fibre organisation, features typical of the ADPKD cellular phenotype. BICC1 plays a dual role in this process via protein-protein interactions with ITGB1, F-actin and other AAPs, and through protein-RNA interactions regulating the local translation of key AAPs (FBLIM1) at FA sites.