Journal Article

Tumor induces muscle wasting in mice through releasing extracellular Hsp70 and Hsp90

Gong, Xing, Zhang, Guohua, Wen, Yefei, Flores, Rene, Liu, Zhelong, Doan, Hoang Anh, Sin, Ka Wai Thomas, Li, Yi-Ping, Zhou, Yong, Zhu, Zhiren J., Liu, Qingyun, Ding, Hui

2017

Overview

Cachexia, characterized by muscle wasting, is a major contributor to cancer-related mortality. However, the key cachexins that mediate cancer-induced muscle wasting remain elusive. Here, we show that tumor-released extracellular Hsp70 and Hsp90 are responsible for tumor’s capacity to induce muscle wasting. We detected high-level constitutive release of Hsp70 and Hsp90 associated with extracellular vesicles (EVs) from diverse cachexia-inducing tumor cells, resulting in elevated serum levels in mice. Neutralizing extracellular Hsp70/90 or silencing Hsp70/90 expression in tumor cells abrogates tumor-induced muscle catabolism and wasting in cultured myotubes and in mice. Conversely, administration of recombinant Hsp70 and Hsp90 recapitulates the catabolic effects of tumor. In addition, tumor-released Hsp70/90-expressing EVs are necessary and sufficient for tumor-induced muscle wasting. Further, Hsp70 and Hsp90 induce muscle catabolism by activating TLR4, and are responsible for elevation of circulating cytokines. These findings identify tumor-released circulating Hsp70 and Hsp90 as key cachexins causing muscle wasting in mice. Cachexia affects many cancer patients causing weight loss and increasing mortality. Here, the authors identify extracellular Hsp70 and Hsp90, either in soluble form or secreted as part of exosomes from tumor cells, to be responsible for tumor induction of cachexia.

• Publisher: Nature Publishing Group UK,Nature Publishing Group,Nature Portfolio
• Subject: 631/67/1059 / 631/67/1059/602 / 631/67/327 / Animals / Cachexia / Cachexia - etiology / Cachexia - genetics / Cachexia - metabolism / Cancer / Catabolism / Cell Line, Tumor / Cytokines / Exosomes / Extracellular Vesicles - genetics / Extracellular Vesicles - metabolism / HSP70 Heat-Shock Proteins - genetics / HSP70 Heat-Shock Proteins - metabolism / Hsp70 protein / HSP90 Heat-Shock Proteins - genetics / HSP90 Heat-Shock Proteins - metabolism / Hsp90 protein / Humanities and Social Sciences / Humans / Male / Mice / Mice, Inbred C57BL / Mortality / multidisciplinary / Muscle, Skeletal - metabolism / Myoblasts - metabolism / Myotubes / Neoplasms - complications / Rodents / Science / Science (multidisciplinary) / Serum levels / TLR4 protein / Toll-Like Receptor 4 - genetics / Toll-Like Receptor 4 - metabolism / Toll-like receptors / Tumor cells / Tumors