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Identification of agents that target human leukemia stem cells is an important consideration for the development of new therapies. The present study demonstrates that rocaglamide and silvestrol,closely related natural products from the flavagline class of compounds,are able to preferentially kill functionally defined leukemia stem cells,while sparing normal stem and progenitor cells. In addition to efficacy as single agents,flavaglines sensitize leukemia cells to several anticancer compounds,including front-line chemotherapeutic drugs used to treat leukemia patients. Mechanistic studies indicate that flavaglines strongly inhibit protein synthesis,leading to the reduction of short-lived antiapoptotic proteins. Notably though,treatment with flavaglines,alone or in combination with other drugs,yields a much stronger cytotoxic activity toward leukemia cells than the translational inhibitor temsirolimus. These results indicate that the underlying cell death mechanism of flavaglines is more complex than simply inhibiting general protein translation. Global gene expression profiling and cell biological assays identified Myc inhibition and the disruption of mitochondrial integrity to be features of flavaglines,which we propose contribute to their efficacy in targeting leukemia cells. Taken together,these findings indicate that rocaglamide and silvestrol are distinct from clinically available translational inhibitors and represent promising candidates for the treatment of leukemia. View Publication

OBJECTIVE The KLF4 gene has been shown to be inactivated in cervical carcinogenesis as a tumor suppressor. However,the mechanism of KLF4 silencing in cervical carcinomas has not yet been identified. DNA methylation plays a key role in stable suppression of gene expression. METHODS The methylation status of the KLF4 promoter CpG islands was analyzed by bisulfite sequencing (BSQ) in tissues of normal cervix and cervical cancer. KLF4 gene expression was detected by RT-PCR,immunohistochemistry and western blot. KLF4 promoter methylation in cervical cancer cell line was determined by BSQ and methylation-specific polymerase chain reaction (MS-PCR). Cell proliferation ability was detected by cell growth curve and MTT assay. RESULTS The methylated allele was found in 41.90% of 24 cervical cancer tissues but only in 11.11% of 11 normal cervix tissues (Ptextless0.005). KLF4 mRNA levels were significantly reduced in cervical cancer tissues compared with normal cervix tissues (Ptextless0.01) and KLF4 mRNA expression showed a significant negative correlation with the promoter hypermethylation (r = -0.486,P = 0.003). Cervical cancer cell lines also showed a significant negative correlation between KLF4 expression and hypermethylation. After treatment with the demethylating agent 5-Azacytidine (5-Aza),the expression of KLF4 in the cervical cancer cell lines at both mRNA and protein levels was drastically increased,the cell proliferation ability was inhibited and the chemosensitivity for cisplatin was significantly increased. CONCLUSION KLF4 gene is inactivated by methylation-induced silencing mechanisms in a large subset of cervical carcinomas and KLF4 promoter hypermethylation inactivates the gene's function as a tumor suppressor in cervical carcinogenesis. View Publication

Tunneling nanotubes (TnTs) are long,non-adherent,actin-based cellular extensions that act as conduits for transport of cellular cargo between connected cells. The mechanisms of nanotube formation and the effects of the tumor microenvironment and cellular signals on TnT formation are unknown. In the present study,we explored exosomes as potential mediators of TnT formation in mesothelioma and the potential relationship of lipid rafts to TnT formation. Mesothelioma cells co-cultured with exogenous mesothelioma-derived exosomes formed more TnTs than cells cultured without exosomes within 24-48. h; and this effect was most prominent in media conditions (low-serum,hyperglycemic medium) that support TnT formation (1.3-1.9-fold difference). Fluorescence and electron microscopy confirmed the purity of isolated exosomes and revealed that they localized predominantly at the base of and within TnTs,in addition to the extracellular environment. Time-lapse microscopic imaging demonstrated uptake of tumor exosomes by TnTs,which facilitated intercellular transfer of these exosomes between connected cells. Mesothelioma cells connected via TnTs were also significantly enriched for lipid rafts at nearly a 2-fold higher number compared with cells not connected by TnTs. Our findings provide supportive evidence of exosomes as potential chemotactic stimuli for TnT formation,and also lipid raft formation as a potential biomarker for TnT-forming cells. textcopyright 2014 Elsevier Inc. View Publication

INTRODUCTION: Upregulation of PI3K/Akt/mTOR signalling in endocrine-resistant breast cancer (BC) has identified mTOR as an attractive target alongside anti-hormones to control resistance. RAD001 (everolimus/Afinitor®),an allosteric mTOR inhibitor,is proving valuable in this setting; however,some patients are inherently refractory or relapse during treatment requiring alternative strategies. Here we evaluate the potential for novel dual mTORC1/2 mTOR kinase inhibitors,exemplified by AZD8055,by comparison with RAD001 in ER + endocrine resistant BC cells. METHODS: In vitro models of tamoxifen (TamR) or oestrogen deprivation resistance (MCF7-X) were treated with RAD001 or AZD8055 alone or combined with anti-hormone fulvestrant. Endpoints included growth,cell proliferation (Ki67),viability and migration,with PI3K/AKT/mTOR signalling impact monitored by Western blotting. Potential ER cross-talk was investigated by immunocytochemistry and RT-PCR. RESULTS: RAD001 was a poor growth inhibitor of MCF7-derived TamR and MCF7-X cells (IC50 ≥1 μM),rapidly inhibiting mTORC1 but not mTORC2/AKT signalling. In contrast AZD8055,which rapidly inhibited both mTORC1 and mTORC2/AKT activity,was a highly effective (P textless0.001) growth inhibitor of TamR (IC50 18 nM) and MCF7-X (IC50 24 nM),and of a further T47D-derived tamoxifen resistant model T47D-tamR (IC50 19 nM). AZD8055 significantly (P textless0.05) inhibited resistant cell proliferation,increased cell death and reduced migration. Furthermore,dual treatment of TamR or MCF7-X cells with AZD8055 plus fulvestrant provided superior control of resistant growth versus either agent alone (P textless0.05). Co-treating with AZD8055 alongside tamoxifen (P textless0.01) or oestrogen deprivation (P textless0.05) also effectively inhibited endocrine responsive MCF-7 cells. Although AZD8055 inhibited oestrogen receptor (ER) ser167 phosphorylation in TamR and MCF7-X,it had no effect on ER ser118 activity or expression of several ER-regulated genes,suggesting the mTOR kinase inhibitor impact was largely ER-independent. The capacity of AZD8055 for ER-independent activity was further evidenced by growth inhibition (IC5018 and 20 nM) of two acquired fulvestrant resistant models lacking ER. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first report demonstrating dual mTORC1/2 mTOR kinase inhibitors have potential to control acquired endocrine resistant BC,even under conditions where everolimus fails. Such inhibitors may prove of particular benefit when used alongside anti-hormonal treatment as second-line therapy in endocrine resistant disease,and also potentially alongside anti-hormones during the earlier endocrine responsive phase to hinder development of resistance. View Publication

The DNA damage response (DDR) alerts the immune system to the danger posed by DNA damage through the induction of damage-associated molecular pattern molecules,chemokines,and ligands for activating immune receptors such as lymphocyte function-associated antigen 1 (LFA-1),NKG2D,and DNAX accessory molecule 1 (DNAM-1). Here we provide evidence that OVA(257-264) -pulsed fibroblasts gain the ability to activate naïve OT-I CD8(+) T cells in response to DNA damage. The ability of fibroblasts to activate OT-I CD8(+) T cells depended on the upregulation of ICAM-1 on fibroblasts and DNAM-1 expression of CD8(+) T cells. OVA(257-264) -pulsed fibroblasts were able to induce a protective T-cell response against B16-OVA cells in a DDR-dependent manner. Hence,the DDR may alert the immune system to the presence of potentially dangerous cells by upregulating the expression of ligands that can induce the activation of innate and adaptive immune cells. View Publication

OBJECTIVE: The objectives of the study were to evaluate the allosteric mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase (MEK) inhibitor BAY 86-9766 in monotherapy and in combination with sorafenib in orthotopic and subcutaneous hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) models with different underlying etiologies in two species. DESIGN: Antiproliferative potential of BAY 86-9766 and synergistic effects with sorafenib were studied in several HCC cell lines. Relevant pathway signaling was studied in MH3924a cells. For in vivo testing,the HCC cells were implanted subcutaneously or orthotopically. Survival and mode of action (MoA) were analyzed. RESULTS: BAY 86-9766 exhibited potent antiproliferative activity in HCC cell lines with half-maximal inhibitory concentration values ranging from 33 to 762 nM. BAY 86-9766 was strongly synergistic with sorafenib in suppressing tumor cell proliferation and inhibiting phosphorylation of the extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK). BAY 86-9766 prolonged survival in Hep3B xenografts,murine Hepa129 allografts,and MH3924A rat allografts. Additionally,tumor growth,ascites formation,and serum alpha-fetoprotein levels were reduced. Synergistic effects in combination with sorafenib were shown in Huh-7,Hep3B xenografts,and MH3924A allografts. On the signaling pathway level,the combination of BAY 86-9766 and sorafenib led to inhibition of the upregulatory feedback loop toward MEK phosphorylation observed after BAY 86-9766 monotreatment. With regard to the underlying MoA,inhibition of ERK phosphorylation,tumor cell proliferation,and microvessel density was observed in vivo. CONCLUSION: BAY 86-9766 shows potent single-agent antitumor activity and acts synergistically in combination with sorafenib in preclinical HCC models. These results support the ongoing clinical development of BAY 86-9766 and sorafenib in advanced HCC. View Publication

Metastatic colorectal cancer (CRC) is incurable for most patients. Since mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) has been suggested as a crucial modulator of tumor biology,we aimed at evaluating the effectiveness of mTOR targeting for CRC therapy. To this purpose,we analyzed mTOR expression and the effect of mTOR inhibition in cancer stem-like cells isolated from three human metastatic CRCs (CoCSCs). CoCSCs exhibited a strong mTOR complex 2 (mTORC2) expression,and a rare expression of mTOR complex 1 (mTORC1). This latter correlated with differentiation,being expressed in CoCSC-derived xenografts. We indicate Serum/glucocorticoid-regulated kinase 1 (SGK1) as the possible main mTORC2 effector in CoCSCs,as highlighted by the negative effect on cancer properties following its knockdown. mTOR inhibitors affected CoCSCs differently,resulting in proliferation,autophagy as well as apoptosis induction. The apoptosis-inducing mTOR inhibitor Torin-1 hindered growth,motility,invasion,and survival of CoCSCs in vitro,and suppressed tumor growth in vivo with a concomitant reduction in vessel formation. Torin-1 also affected the expression of markers for cell proliferation,angio-/lympho-genesis,and stemness in vivo,including Ki67,DLL1,DLL4,Notch,Lgr5,and CD44. Importantly,Torin-1 did not affect the survival of normal colon stem cells in vivo,suggesting its selectivity towards cancer cells. Thus,we propose Torin-1 as a powerful drug candidate for metastatic CRC therapy. View Publication

The PI3K/mammalian Target of Rapamycin (mTOR) pathway is often aberrantly activated in rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) and represents a promising therapeutic target. Recent evaluation of AZD8055,an ATP-competitive mTOR inhibitor,by the Preclinical Pediatric Testing Program showed in vivo antitumor activity against childhood solid tumors,including RMS. Therefore,in the present study,we searched for AZD8055-based combination therapies. Here,we identify a new synergistic lethality of AZD8055 together with ABT-737,a BH3 mimetic that antagonizes Bcl-2,Bcl-xL,and Bcl-w but not Mcl-1. AZD8055 and ABT-737 cooperate to induce apoptosis in alveolar and embryonal RMS cells in a highly synergistic fashion (combination index textless 0.2). Synergistic induction of apoptosis by AZD8055 and ABT-737 is confirmed on the molecular level,as AZD8055 and ABT-737 cooperate to trigger loss of mitochondrial membrane potential,activation of caspases,and caspase-dependent apoptosis that is blocked by the pan-caspase inhibitor Z-VAD-fmk. Similar to AZD8055,the PI3K/mTOR inhibitor NVP-BEZ235,the PI3K inhibitor NVP-BKM120 and Akt inhibitor synergize with ABT-737 to trigger apoptosis,whereas no cooperativity is found for the mTOR complex 1 inhibitor RAD001. Interestingly,molecular studies reveal a correlation between the ability of different PI3K/mTOR inhibitors to potentiate ABT-737-induced apoptosis and to suppress Mcl-1 protein levels. Importantly,knockdown of Mcl-1 increases ABT-737-induced apoptosis similar to AZD8055/ABT-737 cotreatment. This indicates that AZD8055-mediated suppression of Mcl-1 protein plays an important role in the synergistic drug interaction. By identifying a novel synergistic interaction of AZD8055 and ABT-737,our findings have important implications for the development of molecular targeted therapies for RMS. View Publication

The development of strategies to eradicate primary human acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) cells is a major challenge to the leukemia research field. In particular,primitive leukemia cells,often termed leukemia stem cells,are typically refractory to many forms of therapy. To investigate improved strategies for targeting of human AML cells we compared the molecular mechanisms regulating oxidative state in primitive (CD34(+)) leukemic versus normal specimens. Our data indicate that CD34(+) AML cells have elevated expression of multiple glutathione pathway regulatory proteins,presumably as a mechanism to compensate for increased oxidative stress in leukemic cells. Consistent with this observation,CD34(+) AML cells have lower levels of reduced glutathione and increased levels of oxidized glutathione compared with normal CD34(+) cells. These findings led us to hypothesize that AML cells will be hypersensitive to inhibition of glutathione metabolism. To test this premise,we identified compounds such as parthenolide (PTL) or piperlongumine that induce almost complete glutathione depletion and severe cell death in CD34(+) AML cells. Importantly,these compounds only induce limited and transient glutathione depletion as well as significantly less toxicity in normal CD34(+) cells. We further determined that PTL perturbs glutathione homeostasis by a multifactorial mechanism,which includes inhibiting key glutathione metabolic enzymes (GCLC and GPX1),as well as direct depletion of glutathione. These findings demonstrate that primitive leukemia cells are uniquely sensitive to agents that target aberrant glutathione metabolism,an intrinsic property of primary human AML cells. View Publication

BACKGROUND: A few reports suggested that low levels of Wnt signaling might drive cell reprogramming,but these studies could not establish a clear relationship between Wnt signaling and self-renewal networks. There are ongoing debates as to whether and how the Wnt/β-catenin signaling is involved in the control of pluripotency gene networks. Additionally,whether physiological β-catenin signaling generates stem-like cells through interactions with other pathways is as yet unclear. The nasopharyngeal carcinoma HONE1 cells have low expression of β-catenin and wild-type expression of p53,which provided a possibility to study regulatory mechanism of stemness networks induced by physiological levels of Wnt signaling in these cells.backslashnbackslashnRESULTS: Introduction of increased β-catenin signaling,haploid expression of β-catenin under control by its natural regulators in transferred chromosome 3,resulted in activation of Wnt/β-catenin networks and dedifferentiation in HONE1 hybrid cell lines,but not in esophageal carcinoma SLMT1 hybrid cells that had high levels of endogenous β-catenin expression. HONE1 hybrid cells displayed stem cell-like properties,including enhancement of CD24(+) and CD44(+) populations and generation of spheres that were not observed in parental HONE1 cells. Signaling cascades were detected in HONE1 hybrid cells,including activation of p53- and RB1-mediated tumor suppressor pathways,up-regulation of Nanog-,Oct4-,Sox2-,and Klf4-mediated pluripotency networks,and altered E-cadherin expression in both in vitro and in vivo assays. qPCR array analyses further revealed interactions of physiological Wnt/β-catenin signaling with other pathways such as epithelial-mesenchymal transition,TGF-β,Activin,BMPR,FGFR2,and LIFR- and IL6ST-mediated cell self-renewal networks. Using β-catenin shRNA inhibitory assays,a dominant role for β-catenin in these cellular network activities was observed. The expression of cell surface markers such as CD9,CD24,CD44,CD90,and CD133 in generated spheres was progressively up-regulated compared to HONE1 hybrid cells. Thirty-four up-regulated components of the Wnt pathway were identified in these spheres.backslashnbackslashnCONCLUSIONS: Wnt/β-catenin signaling regulates self-renewal networks and plays a central role in the control of pluripotency genes,tumor suppressive pathways and expression of cancer stem cell markers. This current study provides a novel platform to investigate the interaction of physiological Wnt/β-catenin signaling with stemness transition networks. View Publication

BACKGROUND Many cancers,including melanoma,exclusively express constitutive proteasomes (cPs) and are unable to express immunoproteasomes (iPs). In contrast,mature DCs used for immunotherapy exclusively express iPs. Since proteasomes generate peptides presented by HLA class I molecules,we hypothesized that mature melanoma antigen-loaded DCs engineered to process antigens through cPs would be superior inducers of antimelanoma immunity in vivo. METHODS Subjects with metastatic melanoma were vaccinated with mature DCs transfected with RNAs encoding melanoma antigens MART1,MAGE-3,gp100,and tyrosinase. These DCs were derived from monocytes that were untransfected (Arm A; n = 4),transfected with control siRNA (Arm B; n = 3),or transfected with siRNAs targeting the 3 inducible iP subunits (Arm C; n = 5). RESULTS Vaccination stimulated antigen-specific T cell responses in all subjects,which peaked after 3-4 vaccinations,but remained elevated in Arm C subjects. Also in Arm C,circulating melanoma cell levels (as detected by quantitative PCR) fell,and T cell lytic activity against autologous melanoma was induced. In HLA-A2 subjects,CD8 T cells that bound tetramers loaded with cP-derived melanoma antigenic peptides were found in the peripheral blood only in Arm C subjects. Of 2 subjects with active disease (both in Arm C),one had a partial clinical response,while the other,who exhibited diffuse dermal and soft tissue metastases,had a complete response. CONCLUSION These results suggest that the efficacy of melanoma DC-based immunotherapy is enhanced when tumor antigen-loaded DCs used for vaccination express cPs. TRIAL REGISTRATION Clinicaltrials.gov NCT00672542. FUNDING Duke Clinical Research Institute/Duke Translational Medicine Institute,Duke Melanoma Consortium,and Duke University Department of Surgery. View Publication

Tumor cells at the tumor margin lose epithelial properties and acquire features of mesenchymal cells,a process called epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT). Recently,features of EMT were shown to be linked to cells with tumor-founding capability,so-called cancer stem cells (CSCs). Inducers of the EMT include several transcription factors,such as Snail (SNAI1) and Slug (SNAI2),as well as the secreted transforming growth factor (TGFß). In the present study,we found that EMT induction in MCF10A cells by stably expressing SNAI1 contributed to drug resistance and acquisition of stem/progenitor-like character as shown by increased cell population for surface marker CD44(+)/CD24(-) and mammosphere forming capacity. Using a microarray approach,we demonstrate that SNAI1 overexpression results in a dramatic change in signaling pathways involved in the regulation of cell death and stem cell maintenance. We showed that NF-$$B/MAPK signaling pathways are highly activated in MCF10A-SNAI1 cells by IL1ß stimulation,leading to the robust induction in IL6 and IL8. Furthermore,MCF10A-SNAI1 cells showed enhanced TCF/ß-catenin activity responding to the exogenous Wnt3a treatment. However,EMT-induced stem/progenitor cell activation process is tightly regulated in non-transformed MCF10A cells,as WNT5A and TGFB2 are strongly upregulated in MCF10A-SNAI1 cells antagonizing canonical Wnt pathway. In summary,our data provide new molecular findings how EMT contributes to the enhanced chemoresistance and the acquisition of stem/progenitor-like character by regulating signaling pathways. View Publication