搜索结果: 'methocult media formulations for human hematopoietic cells serum containing'

The Y-box binding protein-1 (YB-1) is an oncogenic transcription/translation factor that is activated by phosphorylation at S102 whereby it induces the expression of growth promoting genes such as EGFR and HER-2. We recently illustrated by an in vitro kinase assay that a novel peptide to YB-1 was highly phosphorylated by the serine/threonine p90 S6 kinases RSK-1 and RSK-2,and to a lesser degree PKCα and AKT. Herein,we sought to develop this decoy cell permeable peptide (CPP) as a cancer therapeutic. This 9-mer was designed as an interference peptide that would prevent endogenous YB-1(S102) phosphorylation based on molecular docking. In cancer cells,the CPP blocked P-YB-1(S102) and down-regulated both HER-2 and EGFR transcript level and protein expression. Further,the CPP prevented YB-1 from binding to the EGFR promoter in a gel shift assay. Notably,the growth of breast (SUM149,MDA-MB-453,AU565) and prostate (PC3,LNCap) cancer cells was inhibited by ∼90% with the CPP. Further,treatment with this peptide enhanced sensitivity and overcame resistance to trastuzumab in cells expressing amplified HER-2. By contrast,the CPP had no inhibitory effect on the growth of normal immortalized breast epithelial (184htert) cells,primary breast epithelial cells,nor did it inhibit differentiation of hematopoietic progenitors. These data collectively suggest that the CPP is a novel approach to suppressing the growth of cancer cells while sparing normal cells and thereby establishes a proof-of-concept that blocking YB-1 activation is a new course of cancer therapeutics. View Publication

BACKGROUND: Previous studies have shown that patients with Bcr-Abl-positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) either have primary disease that is refractory to imatinib mesylate or develop disease recurrence after an initial response. METHODS: The authors investigated the effects of a newly designed Bcr-Abl inhibitor,AMN107,by comparing its in vitro inhibitory potency on p190 Bcr-Abl ALL cell lines with that of imatinib. RESULTS: In two Philadelphia (Ph)-positive ALL cell lines,AMN107 was found to be 30-40 times more potent than imatinib in inhibiting cellular proliferation. AMN107 was also more effective than imatinib in inhibiting phosphorylation of p190 Bcr-Abl tyrosine kinase in cell lines and primary ALL cells. The inhibition of cellular proliferation was associated with the induction of apoptosis in only one of the cell lines. No activity was observed in cell lines lacking the BCR-ABL genotype. CONCLUSIONS: The results of the current study suggest the superior potency of AMN107 compared with imatinib in Ph-positive ALL and support clinical trials of AMN107 in patients with Ph-positive ALL. View Publication

Inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) is an angioinvasive and most aggressive type of advanced breast cancer characterized by rapid proliferation,chemoresistance,early metastatic development and poor prognosis. IBC tumors display a triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) phenotype characterized by centrosome amplification,high grade of chromosomal instability (CIN) and low levels of expression of estrogen receptor α (ERα),progesterone receptor (PR) and HER-2 tyrosine kinase receptor. Since the TNBC cells lack these receptors necessary to promote tumor growth,common treatments such as endocrine therapy and molecular targeting of HER-2 receptor are ineffective for this subtype of breast cancer. To date,not a single targeted therapy has been approved for non-inflammatory and inflammatory TNBC tumors and combination of conventional cytotoxic chemotherapeutic agents remains the standard therapy. IBC tumors generally display activation of epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) that is functionally linked to a CD44+/CD24-/Low stem-like phenotype. Development of EMT and consequent activation of stemness programming is responsible for invasion,tumor self-renewal and drug resistance leading to breast cancer progression,distant metastases and poor prognosis. In this study,we employed the luminal ER+ MCF-7 and the IBC SUM149PT breast cancer cell lines to establish the extent to which high grade of CIN and chemoresistance were mechanistically linked to the enrichment of CD44+/CD24low/- CSCs. Here,we demonstrate that SUM149PT cells displayed higher CIN than MCF-7 cells characterized by higher percentage of structural and numerical chromosomal aberrations. Moreover,centrosome amplification,cyclin E overexpression and phosphorylation of retinoblastoma (Rb) were restricted to the stem-like CD44+/CD24-/Low subpopulation isolated from SUM149PT cells. Significantly,CD44+/CD24-/Low CSCs displayed resistance to conventional chemotherapy but higher sensitivity to SU9516,a specific cyclin-dependent kinase 2 (Cdk2) inhibitor,demonstrating that aberrant activation of cyclin E/Cdk2 oncogenic signaling is essential for the maintenance and expansion of CD44+/CD24-/Low CSC subpopulation in IBC. In conclusion,our findings propose a novel therapeutic approach to restore chemosensitivity and delay recurrence of IBC tumors based on the combination of conventional chemotherapy with small molecule inhibitors of the Cdk2 cell cycle kinase. View Publication

Loss or mutation of the TP53 tumor suppressor gene is not commonly observed in acute myeloid leukemia (AML),suggesting that there is an alternate route for cell transformation. We investigated the hypothesis that previously observed Bcl-2 family member overexpression suppresses wild-type p53 activity in AML. We demonstrate that wild-type p53 protein is expressed in primary leukemic blasts from patients with de novo AML using 2-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (2D-PAGE) and phospho-specific flow cytometry. We found that p53 was heterogeneously expressed and phosphorylated in AML patient samples and could accumulate following DNA damage. Overexpression of antiapoptosis protein Bcl-2 in AML cells was directly correlated with p53 expression and phosphorylation on serine residues 15,46,and 392. Within those patients with the highest levels of Bcl-2 expression,we identified a mutation in FLT3 that duplicated phosphorylation site Y591. The presence of this mutation correlated with greater than normal Bcl-2 expression and with previously observed profiles of potentiated STAT and MAPK signaling. These results support the hypothesis that Flt3-mediated signaling in AML enables accumulation of Bcl-2 and maintains a downstream block to p53 pathway apoptosis. Bcl-2 inhibition might therefore improve the efficacy of existing AML therapies by inactivating this suppression of wild-type p53 activity. View Publication

In somatic cells,eroded telomeres can induce DNA double-strand break signaling,leading to a form of replicative senescence or apoptosis,both of which are barriers to tumorigenesis. However,cancer cells might display telomere dysfunctions which in conjunction with defects in DNA repair and apoptosis,enables them to circumvent these pathways. Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) cells exhibit telomere dysfunction,and a subset of these cells are resistant to DNA damage-induced apoptosis and display short telomeres. We show here that these cells exhibit significant resection of their protective telomeric 3' single-stranded overhangs and an increased number of telomere-induced foci containing gammaH2AX and 53BP1. Chromatin immunoprecipitation and immunofluorescence experiments demonstrated increased levels of telomeric Ku70 and phospho-S2056-DNA-PKcs,2 essential components of the mammalian nonhomologous end-joining DNA repair system. Notably,these CLL cells display deletions of telomeric signals on one or 2 chromatids in parallel with 11q22 deletions,or with 13q14 deletions associated with another chromosomal aberration or with a complex karyotype. Taken together,our results indicate that a subset of CLL cells from patients with an unfavorable clinical outcome harbor a novel type of chromosomal aberration resulting from telomere dysfunction. View Publication

Current treatment options for advanced and hormone refractory prostate cancer are limited and responses to commonly used androgen pathway inhibitors are often unsatisfactory. Our recent results indicated that sodium ionophore monensin is one of the most potent and cancer-specific inhibitors in a systematic sensitivity testing of most known drugs and drug-like molecules in a panel of prostate cancer cell models. Because monensin has been extensively used in veterinary applications to build muscle mass in cattle,the link to prostate cancer and androgen signaling was particularly interesting. Here,we showed that monensin effects at nanomolar concentrations are linked to induction of apoptosis and potent reduction of androgen receptor mRNA and protein in prostate cancer cells. Monensin also elevated intracellular oxidative stress in prostate cancer cells as evidenced by increased generation of intracellular reactive oxygen species and by induction of a transcriptional profile characteristic of an oxidative stress response. Importantly,the antiproliferative effects of monensin were potentiated by combinatorial treatment with the antiandrogens and antagonized by antioxidant vitamin C. Taken together,our results suggest monensin as a potential well-tolerated,in vivo compatible drug with strong proapoptotic effects in prostate cancer cells,and synergistic effects with antiandrogens. Moreover,our data suggest a general strategy by which the effects of antiandrogens could be enhanced by combinatorial administration with agents that increase oxidative stress in prostate cancer cells. View Publication

OBJECTIVE: Identification of a clinical grade method for the ex vivo generation of donor-derived T cells cytotoxic against both myeloid and lymphoblastic cells still remains elusive. We investigated rapid generation and expansion of donor derived-allogeneic T-cell lines cytotoxic against patient leukemic cells. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) and acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) blasts were cultured 5 days in Stem Span,granulocyte macrophage colony-stimulating factor,interleukin-4,and calcium ionophore. All B-precursor ALL (N22) and AML (N13),but not T-cell ALL (N3),differentiated into mature leukemia-derived antigen-presenting cells (LD-APC). All but one LD-APC generated cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) from adult human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-identical (N8) or unrelated donors (N2). RESULTS: Upon in vitro culture,donor-derived CTL acquired a memory T phenotype,showing concomitant high CD45RA,CD45RO,CD62L expression. CD8(+) cells,but not CD4(+) cells,were granzyme,perforine,and interferon-gamma-positive. Pooled CD4(+) and CD8(+) cells were cytotoxic against leukemic blasts (32%,30:1 E:T ratio),but not against autologous or patient-derived phytohemagglutinin blasts. LD-APC from five ALL patients were used to generate CTL from cord blood. A mixed population of CD4(+) and CD8(+) cells was documented in 54% of wells. T cells acquired classical effector memory phenotype and showed a higher cytotoxicity against leukemia blasts (47%,1:1 E:T ratio). Adult and cord blood CTL showed a skewing from a complete T-cell receptor repertoire to an oligo-clonal/clonal pattern. CONCLUSIONS: Availability of these cells should allow clinical trials for salvage treatment of leukemia patients relapsing after allogeneic stem cell transplantation. View Publication

The mechanisms underlying deregulation of HOX gene expression in AML are poorly understood. The ParaHox gene CDX2 was shown to act as positive upstream regulator of several HOX genes. In this study,constitutive expression of Cdx2 caused perturbation of leukemogenic Hox genes such as Hoxa10 and Hoxb8 in murine hematopoietic progenitors. Deletion of the N-terminal domain of Cdx2 abrogated its ability to perturb Hox gene expression and to cause acute myeloid leukemia (AML) in mice. In contrast inactivation of the putative Pbx interacting site of Cdx2 did not change the leukemogenic potential of the gene. In an analysis of 115 patients with AML,expression levels of CDX2 were closely correlated with deregulated HOX gene expression. Patients with normal karyotype showed a 14-fold higher expression of CDX2 and deregulated HOX gene expression compared with patients with chromosomal translocations such as t(8:21) or t(15;17). All patients with AML with normal karyotype tested were negative for CDX1 and CDX4 expression. These data link the leukemogenic potential of Cdx2 to its ability to dysregulate Hox genes. They furthermore correlate the level of CDX2 expression with HOX gene expression in human AML and support a potential role of CDX2 in the development of human AML with aberrant Hox gene expression. View Publication

Aurora kinases are key regulators of cell mitosis and have been implicated in the process of tumorigenesis. In recent years,the Aurora kinases have attracted much interest as promising targets for cancer treatment. Here we report on the roles of Aurora A and Aurora B kinases in clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC). Using genomewide expression array analysis of 174 patient samples of ccRCC,we found that expression levels of Aurora A and B were significantly elevated in ccRCC compared to normal kidney samples. High expression levels of Aurora A and Aurora B were significantly associated with advanced tumor stage and poor patient survival. Inhibition of Aurora kinase activity with the drug VX680 (also referred to as MK-0457) inhibited ccRCC cell growth in vitro and led to ccRCC cell accumulation in the G2/M phase and apoptosis. Growth of ccRCC xenograft tumors was also inhibited by VX680 treatment,accompanied by a reduction of tumor microvessel density. Analysis of endothelial cell lines demonstrated that VX680 inhibits endothelial cell growth with effects similar to that seen in ccRCC cells. Our findings suggest that VX680 inhibits the growth of ccRCC tumors by targeting the proliferation of both ccRCC tumor cells and tumor-associated endothelial cells. Aurora kinases and their downstream cell cycle proteins have an important role in ccRCC and may be potent prognostic markers and therapy targets for this disease. View Publication

Regulatory T cells (T(reg)) that prevent autoimmune diseases by suppression of self-reactive T cells may also suppress the immune response against cancer. In mice,depletion of T(reg) by Ab therapy leads to more efficient tumor rejection. T(reg)-mediated suppression of antitumor immune responses may partly explain the poor clinical response to vaccine-based immunotherapy for human cancer. In this study,we measured the prevalence of T(reg) that coexpress CD4 and CD25 in the PBLs,tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes,and regional lymph node lymphocytes from 65 patients with either pancreas or breast cancer. In breast cancer patients (n = 35),pancreas cancer patients (n = 30),and normal donors (n = 35),the prevalence of T(reg) were 16.6% (SE 1.22),13.2% (SE 1.13),and 8.6% (SE 0.71) of the total CD4(+) cells,respectively. The prevalence of T(reg) were significantly higher in breast cancer patients (p textless 0.01) and pancreas cancer patients (p textless 0.01) when compared with normal donors. In tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes and lymph node lymphocytes,the T(reg) prevalence were 20.2% (SE 3.93) and 20.1% (SE 4.3),respectively. T(reg) constitutively coexpressed CTLA-4 and CD45RO markers,and secreted TGF-beta and IL-10 but did not secrete IFN-gamma. When cocultured with activated CD8(+) cells or CD4(+)25(-) cells,T(reg) potently suppressed their proliferation and secretion of IFN-gamma. We conclude that the prevalence of T(reg) is increased in the peripheral blood as well as in the tumor microenvironment of patients with invasive breast or pancreas cancers. These T(reg) may mitigate the immune response against cancer,and may partly explain the poor immune response against tumor Ags. View Publication

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to determine whether histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors (HDACI) such as vorinostat or entinostat (SNDX-275) could increase the lethality of the dual Bcr/Abl-Aurora kinase inhibitor KW-2449 in various Bcr/Abl(+) human leukemia cells,including those resistant to imatinib mesylate (IM). EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: Bcr/Abl(+) chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) and acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) cells,including those resistant to IM (T315I,E255K),were exposed to KW-2449 in the presence or absence of vorinostat or SNDX-275,after which apoptosis and effects on signaling pathways were examined. In vivo studies combining HDACIs and KW2449 were carried out by using a systemic IM-resistant ALL xenograft model. RESULTS: Coadministration of HDACIs synergistically increased KW-2449 lethality in vitro in multiple CML and Ph(+) ALL cell types including human IM resistant cells (e.g.,BV-173/E255K and Adult/T315I). Combined treatment resulted in inactivation of Bcr/Abl and downstream targets (e.g.,STAT5 and CRKL),as well as increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation and DNA damage (γH2A.X). The latter events and cell death were significantly attenuated by free radical scavengers (TBAP). Increased lethality was also observed in primary CD34(+) cells from patients with CML,but not in normal CD34(+) cells. Finally,minimally active vorinostat or SNDX275 doses markedly increased KW2449 antitumor effects and significantly prolonged the survival of murine xenografts bearing IM-resistant ALL cells (BV173/E255K). CONCLUSIONS: HDACIs increase KW-2449 lethality in Bcr/Abl(+) cells in association with inhibition of Bcr/Abl,generation of ROS,and induction of DNA damage. This strategy preferentially targets primary Bcr/Abl(+) hematopoietic cells and exhibits enhanced in vivo activity. Combining KW-2449 with HDACIs warrants attention in IM-resistant Bcr/Abl(+) leukemias. View Publication

Selumetinib (AZD6244; ARRY-142886) is a tight-binding,uncompetitive inhibitor of mitogen-activated protein kinase kinases (MEK) 1 and 2 currently in clinical development. We evaluated the effects of selumetinib in 31 human breast cancer cell lines and 43 human non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cell lines to identify characteristics correlating with in vitro sensitivity to MEK inhibition. IC(50) textless1 micromol/L (considered sensitive) was seen in 5 of 31 breast cancer cell lines and 15 of 43 NSCLC cell lines,with a correlation between sensitivity and raf mutations in breast cancer cell lines (P = 0.022) and ras mutations in NSCLC cell lines (P = 0.045). Evaluation of 27 of the NSCLC cell lines with Western blots showed no clear association between MEK and phosphoinositide 3-kinase pathway activation and sensitivity to MEK inhibition. Baseline gene expression profiles were generated for each cell line using Agilent gene expression arrays to identify additional predictive markers. Genes associated with differential sensitivity to selumetinib were seen in both histologies,including a small number of genes in which differential expression was common to both histologies. In total,these results suggest that clinical trials of selumetinib in breast cancer and NSCLC might select patients whose tumors harbor raf and ras mutations,respectively. View Publication