Cited by 76Immunotherapy and Immune ResponsesCancer Immunotherapy and BiomarkersT-cell and B-cell Immunology

GEF-H1 Signaling upon Microtubule Destabilization Is Required for Dendritic Cell Activation and Specific Anti-tumor Responses

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Kashyap, Abhishek S., Fernandez-Rodriguez, Laura, Zhao, Yun, Monaco, Gianni, Trefny, Marcel P., Yoshida, Naohiro, Martin, Kea, Sharma, Ashwani +12 more·2019·Cell Reports

Abstract

Dendritic cell (DC) activation is a critical step for anti-tumor T cell responses. Certain chemotherapeutics can influence DC function. Here we demonstrate that chemotherapy capable of microtubule destabilization has direct effects on DC function; namely, it induces potent DC maturation and elicits anti-tumor immunity. Guanine nucleotide exchange factor-H1 (GEF-H1) is specifically released upon microtubule destabilization and is required for DC activation. In response to chemotherapy, GEF-H1 drives a distinct cell signaling program in DCs dominated by the c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) pathway and AP-1/ATF transcriptional response for control of innate and adaptive immune responses. Microtubule destabilization, and subsequent GEF-H1 signaling, enhances cross-presentation of tumor antigens to CD8 T cells. In absence of GEF-H1, anti-tumor immunity is hampered. In cancer patients, high expression of the GEF-H1 immune gene signature is associated with prolonged survival. Our study identifies an alternate intracellular axis in DCs induced upon microtubule destabilization in which GEF-H1 promotes protective anti-tumor immunity.

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Crossref · 10.1016/j.celrep.2019.08.057

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  • The ability of taxanes to activate RhoA can be relevant for understanding their efficacy in cancer therapy, because RhoA can promote anti-tumour immune responses.

    “The ability of taxanes to activate RhoA can be relevant for understanding their efficacy in cancer therapy, because RhoA can promote anti-tumour immune responses 19,75,76 .”

    From Taxane-induced conformational changes in the microtubule lattice activate GEF-H1-dependent RhoA signalling (2026) · cites this paper as [19]

    The Results (page unavailable) report that the taxanes paclitaxel and docetaxel had no dendritic-cell-stimulatory effects. The Discussion (page unavailable) says the GEF-H1 immune pathway studied is specific to microtubule-destabilizing drugs and is not used by those taxanes. Although it mentions RhoA as a downstream substrate of GEF-H1, it does not establish the proposed taxane–RhoA route to anti-tumour immunity. (LLM, conf=0.86)

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  • When strongly overexpressed, GEF-H1 can induce its preferred lattice conformation, which cannot be altered by paclitaxel.

    “This explains why the sensitivity of GEF-H1 to taxanes has been overlooked previously 19 : when strongly overexpressed, GEF-H1 can induce its preferred lattice conformation, which cannot be altered by paclitaxel.”

    From Taxane-induced conformational changes in the microtubule lattice activate GEF-H1-dependent RhoA signalling (2026) · cites this paper as [19]

    The Results section ('Microtubule Destabilization by MDAs Releases and Activates GEF-H1'; page not provided) reports that taxane did not release GEF-H1 from microtubules in cells overexpressing GEF-H1-GFP. It does not say that strong overexpression induces a preferred lattice conformation or that paclitaxel cannot alter that conformation. (LLM, conf=0.85)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
  • Wild-type GEFH1 FL co-localized and bundled microtubules, while the FL-C53R mutant and the FL-αβ, FL-α′β′, and FL-ββ′ mutants showed perturbed microtubule co-localization.

    “wild-type FL co-localized and bundled microtubules, consistent with its known microtubule-associated protein behavior”

    From Structural basis of microtubule-mediated signal transduction (2026) · cites this paper as [22]

    The Results section (“Microtubule Destabilization by MDAs Releases and Activates GEF-H1”; page unavailable) reports GEF-H1 association with microtubules and binding by a purified GEF-H1-derived construct. It does not report that wild-type full-length GEF-H1 bundles microtubules or that the named mutants have perturbed co-localization. The verbatim citing sentence does not mention those mutants. (LLM, conf=0.88)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
  • Microtubule-destabilizing agents activate GEF-H1 by inducing its unbinding from microtubules.

    “As microtubule-destabilizing agents activate GEF-H1 by inducing its unbinding from microtubules 18-21”
  • GEF-H1 is sequestered on microtubules in an inactive form and becomes active upon release from microtubules.

    “This effect depends on the RhoA activator guanine nucleotide exchange factor H1 (GEF-H1), which is sequestered on microtubules in an inactive form, but becomes active upon release from microtubules 18-22 .”

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Authors
Kashyap, A. S., Fernandez-Rodriguez, L., Zhao, Y., Monaco, G., Trefny, M. P., Yoshida, N., Martin, K., Sharma, A., Olieric, N., Shah, P., Stanczak, M., Kirchhammer, N., Park, S.-M., Wieckowski, S., Laubli, H., Zagani, R., Kasenda, B., Steinmetz, M. O., Reinecker, H.-C., & Zippelius, A.
Affiliations
  • Harvard University (US)
  • University of Basel (CH)
  • Paul Scherrer Institute (CH)
  • University Hospital of Basel (CH)
Corresponding author
  • Kashyap, Abhishek S.
  • Reinecker, Hans-Christian
  • Zippelius, Alfred
Venue
Cell Reports
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2019-09
Volume
28
Issue
13
Pages
3367-3380.e8
ISSN
2211-1247 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W2975223131
Cited by
76
References
71
Citations by year
2026: 7 · 2025: 17 · 2024: 10 · 2023: 11 · 2022: 12 · 2021: 10 · 2020: 8 · 2019: 1
FWCI
3.10
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Cell Reports (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (acceptedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion, cc-by)
  • DORA PSI (Paul Scherrer Institute) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
Funders
  • Schweizerischer Nationalfonds zur Förderung der Wissenschaftlichen Forschung
  • National Institutes of Health
  • Krebsliga Schweiz
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Immunology and Microbiology › Immunology › Immunotherapy and Immune Responses
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Oncology › Cancer Immunotherapy and Biomarkers
  • Life Sciences › Immunology and Microbiology › Immunology › T-cell and B-cell Immunology
Keywords
GEF-H1, microtubule destabilization, dendritic cell activation, dendritic cell maturation, antitumor immunity, chemotherapy, JNK signaling, AP-1 transcription, cross-presentation, CD8+ T cells, tumor antigens, immune-related gene signature, cancer survival
MeSH terms
Cell Differentiation, Dendritic Cells, Humans, Microtubules, Neoplasms, Signal Transduction, Rho Guanine Nucleotide Exchange Factors

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