MINI REVIEW article

Front. Cell Dev. Biol., 29 October 2021

Sec. Cell Growth and Division

Volume 9 - 2021 | https://doi.org/10.3389/fcell.2021.751892

The TSC Complex-mTORC1 Axis: From Lysosomes to Stress Granules and Back

  • 1. Laboratory for Metabolic Signaling, Institute of Biochemistry, Center for Molecular Biosciences Innsbruck, University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria

  • 2. Brain Cancer Metabolism Group, German Consortium of Translational Cancer Research (DKTK) & German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany

  • 3. Faculty of Bioscience, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany

  • 4. Section Systems Medicine of Metabolism and Signaling, Department of Pediatrics, University of Groningen and University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, Netherlands

  • 5. Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States

  • 6. Department of Neurology, National Center for Tumor Diseases, University Hospital Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany

  • 7. Department for Neuroscience, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Carl von Ossietzky University Oldenburg, Oldenburg, Germany

Abstract

The tuberous sclerosis protein complex (TSC complex) is a key integrator of metabolic signals and cellular stress. In response to nutrient shortage and stresses, the TSC complex inhibits the mechanistic target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1) at the lysosomes. mTORC1 is also inhibited by stress granules (SGs), RNA-protein assemblies that dissociate mTORC1. The mechanisms of lysosome and SG recruitment of mTORC1 are well studied. In contrast, molecular details on lysosomal recruitment of the TSC complex have emerged only recently. The TSC complex subunit 1 (TSC1) binds lysosomes via phosphatidylinositol-3,5-bisphosphate [PI(3,5)P2]. The SG assembly factors 1 and 2 (G3BP1/2) have an unexpected lysosomal function in recruiting TSC2 when SGs are absent. In addition, high density lipoprotein binding protein (HDLBP, also named Vigilin) recruits TSC2 to SGs under stress. In this mini-review, we integrate the molecular mechanisms of lysosome and SG recruitment of the TSC complex. We discuss their interplay in the context of cell proliferation and migration in cancer and in the clinical manifestations of tuberous sclerosis complex disease (TSC) and lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM).

Introduction

For cellular growth and survival, cells have to tightly balance their metabolism to adapt to nutritional changes and environmental stressors. The TSC complex (tuberous sclerosis protein complex) constitutes a key integrator of nutrient and stress signals (; ; ), which adapts cellular metabolism to environmental conditions by suppressing the anabolic master regulator mTORC1 (mechanistic target of rapamycin complex 1; ; ; ; ; ). mTORC1 is an evolutionary highly conserved multi-protein complex. Apart from the MTOR kinase itself, mTORC1 contains the complex-specific interaction partners RPTOR (regulatory associated protein of MTOR complex 1) and AKT1S1 (AKT1 substrate 1) (; ; ). The TSC complex-mTORC1 axis translates nutrient and stress signals into tightly orchestrated cellular responses that impinge on anabolic processes including translation, as well as catabolic processes such as autophagy (). Disturbances of the TSC complex lead to mTORC1 hyperactivation and have been linked to diseases including cancer and the clinical manifestations of tuberous sclerosis complex disease (TSC), which are both characterized by cellular overgrowth and aberrant migration (; ; ; ; ; ). Lysosomes are widely recognized as the major signaling platform at which the TSC complex inhibits mTORC1. Also other inhibitory cues such as the RRAG GTPases (Ras related GTP binding proteins) and AMPK (AMP-activated protein kinase) suppress mTORC1 at lysosomes [reviewed in detail by ; ; ; ; ]. A growing body of evidence shows that stress granules (SGs) constitute a non-membranous compartment at which mTORC1 is inhibited under stress through several mechanisms (; ; ; ; ; ; ). Whereas the molecular machinery mediating the recruitment and regulation of mTORC1 at lysosomes (; ; ) or SGs (; ; ; ) has been investigated in much detail, recent studies shed light on the mechanisms tethering the TSC complex to lysosomes (; ) and to SGs (). In this mini-review we summarize the latest findings focusing on the interplay of the TSC complex with SGs and lysosomes. We discuss the impact of this crosstalk in the context of TSC, lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM) and cancer.

Main Text

The Lysosomal TSC Complex and SGs Inhibit mTORC1

The TSC multiprotein complex consists of TSC complex subunit 1 (TSC1), TSC2, and TBC1 domain family member 7 (TBC1D7) (). The three subunits assemble with a 2:2:1 stoichiometry (; ; ). The coiled-coil domains of two TSC1 proteins intertwine in parallel in a double-helix bundle that interacts via several sites with the TSC2 dimer (; ). The two TSC2 molecules interact via their dimerization domains in an antiparallel manner, allowing the catalytic pockets of the GAP (GTPase-activating protein) domains to face outward of the TSC complex (). This asymmetric TSC1-TSC2 complex binds a single TBC1D7 molecule via association with one C-terminus in the TSC1 dimer.

In healthy cells, the TSC complex integrates signals from multiple growth factor pathways (), as well as nutrient sufficiency and cellular stresses (, ; ; ; ). In response to growth factors, including insulin, the AKT serine/threonine kinase (AKT) phosphorylates TSC2 and inhibits the TSC complex (; ; ). Apart from the activation of mTORC1, insulin-AKT signaling enhances a TSC2-independent function of TSC1 in cytostatic and pro-metastatic TGFB (transforming growth factor beta)-Smad2/3 (SMAD family member 2/3) signaling (). Like AKT, also WNT (Wnt family member) () and MAPK (mitogen-activated protein kinase) () signaling suppress TSC2 via RPS6KA1 (ribosomal protein S6 kinase A1) () and GSK3B (glycogen synthase kinase 3 beta), respectively. In contrast, phosphorylation of TSC2 by AMPK activates the TSC complex and inhibits mTORC1 (). When growth factor signals are low, the TSC complex translocates to the lysosomal surface (). Similarly, deprivation of all amino acids () or of arginine alone () as well as hyperosmotic stress, hypoxia, pH stress and 2-Deoxy-D-glucose (; ) enhance the lysosomal association of the TSC complex. The TSC complex acts as a GAP that inhibits the small GTPase RHEB (RAS homolog-mTORC1 binding) by enhancing the conversion of RHEB‘s GTP-bound state to the GDP-bound state (; ; ). GTP-bound RHEB activates mTORC1, and the TSC complex suppresses mTORC1 upon growth factor shortage, nutrient deprivation, and other stresses (; ; ; ). Conversely, growth factor and nutrient sufficiency reduce the amount of lysosomal TSC complex (; ; ), increasing the abundance of RHEB-GTP and activating mTORC1 (; ). MTOR directly binds to RHEB-GTP, which causes a conformational change in the active site of the MTOR kinase domain (). This allows mTORC1 to bind and phosphorylate its multiple substrates (). Among them are EIF4EBP1 (eukaryotic translation initiation factor 4E binding protein 1) and RPS6KB1 (ribosomal protein S6 kinase B1), whose phosphorylation by mTORC1 enhances cap-dependent translation, and ULK1 (unc-51 like autophagy activating kinase 1) via which mTORC1 suppresses autophagy (; Figure 1).

FIGURE 1

Beyond the lysosomal TSC complex, mTORC1 inhibition under stress is also mediated by SGs, cytoplasmic protein-RNA assemblies formed upon stress-induced inhibition of translation (; ; ; ; ). SGs constitute a dynamic non-membranous compartment that sorts mRNAs for maintenance or decay (), controls signaling networks (; ), and promotes survival under stress (; ; ; ; ). A variety of stress signals promote SG assembly via mechanisms associated with stalled translation [reviewed in detail by ; ]. The best described regulators of SG assembly are the eukaryotic translation initiation factor 2 subunit alpha (EIF2S1) kinases (), which inhibit EIF2S1 to diminish global cap-dependent translation (). The release of monosomal mRNAs enables the recruitment of RNA-binding proteins, such as the G3BP stress granule assembly factors 1 and 2 (G3BP1/2 or G3BPs), leading to SG assembly (; ). Pbp1, the yeast ortholog of Ataxin-2, acts under stress to recruit yeast RPTOR (Kog1) and MTOR (Tor1) to SGs (). SGs also sequester MTOR in mammalian cells, but the recruiting protein remains unknown (; Figure 1). mTORC1 inhibition by SGs in mammalian cells is mediated by the sperm associated antigen 5 (SPAG5, also known as astrin) that recruits the mTORC1 specific scaffold protein RPTOR to SGs, and disassembles mTORC1 (). In addition, SGs regulate mTORC1 via the dual specificity tyrosine phosphorylation regulated kinase 3 (DYRK3) (; ; Figure 1). Under non-stressed conditions, cytosolic DYRK3 phosphorylates and represses mTORC1’s inhibitory subunit AKT1S1, leading to mTORC1 activation (). In response to stress SGs recruit inactive DYRK3, allowing active AKT1S1 to suppress mTORC1 (; ). DYRK3 stabilizes SGs, enhancing inhibitory effects of SGs on mTORC1. Next to the inhibitory cues, activating stress inputs (; ; ; ; ) finely orchestrate mTORC1 activity. mTORC1 enhances SG formation by several mechanisms that involve mediators of translation and autophagy (; ; ; ). Via such SG-mediated negative feedback mTORC1 may restrict its own activity under stress.

Crosstalk of Lysosomes and SGs in TSC Complex-mTORC1 Signaling

Several findings indicate crosstalk between lysosomes and SGs. Absence of SPAG5 not only reduces SG tethering of RPTOR but also enhances its binding to lysosomes (). In agreement, in the absence of SGs, the core SG proteins and bona fide markers of SG assembly G3BP1 and 2 () reside at the cytoplasmic surface of lysosomes and function as tethers of the TSC complex (; Figure 1). The C-terminal RGG (arginine–glycine–glycine) domain of G3BP1 binds to TSC2 and the N-terminal NTF2L domain of G3BP1 binds to the lysosomal associated membrane proteins 1/2 (LAMP1/2), bridging the TSC complex to the lysosomal surface (). G3BPs suppress mTORC1 signaling in the presence as well as in the absence of nutrients (growth factors and amino acids). In keeping with a function in lysosomal tethering of the TSC complex, G3BP1 inhibition is sufficient to phenocopy loss of TSC2 with regard to (i) mTORC1 hyperactivity, (ii) increased cell size, and (iii) enhanced lysosomal MTOR localization (). Next to G3BPs, also the RHEB and RRAG GTPases contribute to the lysosomal recruitment of the TSC complex (; ; ; ). G3BP1 and RHEB deficiency reduce lysosomal TSC2 localization to a similar extent, without additive effects (), indicating that both mechanisms are required for efficient lysosomal recruitment of the TSC complex. Of note, G3BP1 deficiency does not activate mTORC1 signaling in the presence of SGs () suggesting that the G3BPs’ functions at lysosomes and in SGs are mutually exclusive. It is tempting to speculate that in response to stress G3BP proteins shuttle from the lysosomes to SGs. Thus, stress may reduce lysosomal tethering of the TSC complex by G3BP to sustain mTORC1 activity. However, the TSC complex suppresses mTORC1 also under stress (; ) and mechanisms other than G3BP-TSC2 may take over for the lysosomal tethering of the TSC complex. Findings of suggest the involvement of lysosomal phospholipids as TSC1 binds PI(3,5)P2 (phosphatidylinositol-3,5-bisphosphate) in a charge dependent manner (Figure 1). Osmotic stress enhances PI(3,5)P2 levels in the lysosomal membrane (), and it is conceivable that lysosomal tethering of the TSC complex via TSC1 becomes dominant under stress conditions. Future studies on the cooperation between different modes of lysosomal TSC complex tethering will reveal which mechanisms dominate upon different metabolic and stress stimuli.

Whereas G3BPs tether the TSC complex to lysosomes under nutrient sufficiency, oxidative (i.e., sodium arsenite) and heat stress induce the recruitment of TSC2 to G3BP1-positive SGs (). SG recruitment of TSC2 is mediated by its interaction with high density lipoprotein binding protein (HDLBP, also named Vigilin), whose SG localization was discovered first in yeast (). HDLBP appeared in two omics-wide analyses of SGs (; ) and was shown recently to localize to SGs also in mammalian cells (; Figure 1). Knockdown of HDLBP reduces TSC2 localization to SGs while not affecting SG formation, indicating that HDLBP mediates the SG recruitment of TSC2 (). Interestingly, TSC2 deficiency enhances the number of G3BP1-positive SGs. In agreement, mTORC1 activity promotes SG assembly (; ; ), possibly constituting the mechanism via which TSC2 deficiency enhances SG assembly. It will be interesting to investigate whether stress-induced TSC2 translocation from the lysosomes to SGs elicits a positive feedback loop. By de-repression of mTORC1 at lysosomes, such positive feedback may enhance the formation of SGs and SG recruitment of TSC2. Intriguingly, under conditions of nutrient sufficiency (i.e., in the absence of SGs) not only the SG proteins G3BP1 and 2 (), but also HDLBP () reside at the lysosomes. HDLBP’s lysosomal function is still unknown and it remains open whether it also acts on lysosomal TSC2.

To conclude, G3BPs, SPAG5, and possibly HDLBP have dual roles at lysosomes and SGs (; ; ). Of note, showed that ANXA11 (Annexin A11) tethers SGs to lysosomes for distal traveling in neurons. It is conceivable that such close proximity allows proteins to shuttle between lysosomes and SGs. Future research will tackle this question and may reveal the underlying mechanisms. The proximity of lysosomes and SGs may also explain observations that autophagy, one of the major functions of the lysosomal compartment, mediates SG clearance (; ; ; ) and their proper assembly (). mTORC1 is one of the key suppressors of autophagy as it inhibits autophagosome initiation by ULK1 and ATG13 (autophagy related 13) (). mTORC1 also inhibits TFEB and TFE3 (transcription factor EB, transcription factor binding to IGHM enhancer 3), major transcription factors of the autophagic-lysosomal pathway [reviewed by ]. The involvement of SG proteins in lysosomal mTORC1 suppression may link them to autophagy and the turnover and assembly of the SG compartment.

TSC Complex Tethers at Lysosomes and SGs in Human Disease

G3BP1 promotes proliferation of breast cancer cells (; ; ) and in a TSC2-deficient tumor model (). G3BP1 mRNA levels are increased in mouse and human TSC tumors [angiomyolipomas (AML), subependymal giant cell astrocytoma (SEGA), subependymal nodules (SEN)] () and in breast cancer (; ). This suggests that G3BPs may be targets for tumor treatment. In keeping with this, inhibition of G3BP1 enhances apoptosis in TSC2-deficient cells in vitro (). G3BP1 inhibition also prolongs tumor-free survival and represses tumor growth in a subcutaneous in vivo model derived from a TSC2-deficient renal tumor (). This may have implications for the many proliferative lesions in TSC, which include renal AML, cardiac rhabdomyomas, and SEGAs (). However, G3BP1 also suppresses migration in an mTORC1-dependent manner (; Figure 1), suggesting that targeting G3BP1 may be contraindicated in some situations, such as breast cancer, in which lower levels of G3BP1, TSC1, and TSC2 are associated with reduced relapse-free survival (). It is unknown whether G3BP1 controls TSC-associated tumors in human patients. G3BP1-dependent cell migration may be particularly important for women with LAM, the pulmonary manifestation of TSC, in which TSC2-deficient smooth muscle-like cells migrate to the lungs and cause emphysema-like lung destruction (). G3BP1-dependent migration may be also of clinical importance for cerebral cortical tubers in TSC, which are believed to arise from aberrant neuronal migration (). The seemingly contradictory findings on G3BPs in tumors may result from G3BP1’s dual roles at SGs and lysosomes, respectively. Whereas SGs suppress cell death, making G3BP1 pro-tumorigenic, mTORC1 inhibition at lysosomes rather highlights the G3BPs as tumor suppressors. G3BPs also have a role in other oncogenic pathways, including RAS (), NFKB1 (nuclear factor kappa B subunit 1) (), WNT (), and TGFB (). The G3BPs’ function that dominates in a given tumor may determine whether an intervention at the level of the G3BPs is pro- or anti-tumorigenic.

On a broader level, the new data on lysosomal and SG tethers of the TSC complex may impact our understanding of the pathogenesis and therapy of the many diseases in which dysregulation of the TSC complex-mTORC1 axis is observed. Diseases in which mTORC1 has a key role include the majority of human malignancies (), as well as diabetes, obesity, and aging (; ). Understanding how the functions of G3BPs, PI(3,5)P2 and HDLBP in TSC subunit recruitment to lysosomes are integrated into the pathobiology of these diseases could have wide-ranging implications for human health. Like the G3BPs, also HDLBP () and PI(3,5)P2 (; ) control proliferation and migration of cancer cells. In agreement, altered HDLBP levels have been reported in different tumor entities (; ), and PI(3,5)P2 and the G3BPs have been linked to malignancies and neuronal disorders (; ; ). These disorders may arise, at least in part, from aberrant lysosomal TSC complex levels and mTORC1 activity.

Outlook

To conclude, several mechanisms tether the TSC complex to lysosomes as well as to SGs, and control its inhibitory function toward mTORC1. Future research will unravel cooperation and competition between RHEB, RRAGs, G3BP1/2, PI(3,5)P2 and HDLBP in tethering the TSC complex to lysosomes and SGs and in controlling proliferation and migration under different metabolic and stress conditions. This may be clinically relevant for diseases characterized by dysregulated TSC complex and mTORC1 activity. G3BP proteins have been proposed as therapeutic targets based on their role in SG assembly (, ; ; ; ). However, their lysosomal TSC complex-tethering function warrants cautious evaluation of this concept in a tumor- and context-specific manner as G3BPs suppress oncogenic mTORC1 signaling. As HDLBP resides not only at SGs but also at lysosomes, it may give rise to pleiotropic effects similar to G3BPs that are to be investigated in future studies. G3BPs and HDLBP may represent indicators of mTORC1 activity with utility as predictive biomarkers for the response to drugs targeting mTORC1. Such applications will require careful investigation in clinical trials with inhibitors of mTORC1 and its upstream kinases.

Publisher’s Note

All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article, or claim that may be made by its manufacturer, is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.

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Author contributions

UR and KT wrote the first draft of the manuscript. UR, MTP, AH, MCS, EH, CO, and KT contributed to the manuscript writing, read, and approved the final version. All authors contributed to the article and approved the submitted version.

Funding

We acknowledge support from research awards from the German Tuberous Sclerosis Foundation 2019 (to MTP) and 2017 (to KT); the German Research Foundation (SFB 430 1389–UNITE Glioblastoma to CO); the German TS Foundation (to KT); Stichting TSC Fonds (to KT); the PoLiMeR Innovative Training Network (Marie Skłodowska-Curie grant agreement 812616 to KT); and the MESI-STRAT project (grant agreement 754688 to CO and KT), which received funding from the European Union Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Program. MCS acknowledges support from the Graduate School of Medical Sciences of the University of Groningen. MCS and UR acknowledge support from the Vice Rectorate for Research of the University of Innsbruck in the course of Early Stage Funding 2021.

Acknowledgments

The figure was created with BioRender.com (Toronto, ON, Canada). The protein names follow the HGNC (HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee) standard.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

References

Summary

Keywords

TSC complex, mTORC1 (mechanistic target of rapamycin complex 1), HDLBP, lysosomes, stress granules (SG), autophagy, lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM), G3BP1 (G3BP stress granule assembly factor 1)

Citation

Rehbein U, Prentzell MT, Cadena Sandoval M, Heberle AM, Henske EP, Opitz CA and Thedieck K (2021) The TSC Complex-mTORC1 Axis: From Lysosomes to Stress Granules and Back. Front. Cell Dev. Biol. 9:751892. doi: 10.3389/fcell.2021.751892

Received

02 August 2021

Accepted

05 October 2021

Published

29 October 2021

Volume

9 - 2021

Edited by

Caroline Mauvezin, Institut d’Investigacio Biomedica de Bellvitge (IDIBELL), Spain

Reviewed by

Rafal Ciosk, University of Oslo, Norway; Shaoli Song, Fudan University, China

Updates

Copyright

*Correspondence: Kathrin Thedieck, ; ;

This article was submitted to Cell Growth and Division, a section of the journal Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology

Disclaimer

All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.

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