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PURPOSE A major clinical problem in the treatment of breast cancer is the inherent and acquired resistance to antiestrogen therapy. In this study,we sought to determine whether antiprogestin treatment,used as a monotherapy or in combination with antiestrogen therapy,induced growth arrest and active cell death in antiestrogen-resistant breast cancer cells. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN MCF-7 sublines were established from independent clonal isolations performed in the absence of drug selection and tested for their response to the antiestrogens 4-hydroxytamoxifen (4-OHT) and ICI 182,780 (fulvestrant),and the antiprogestin mifepristone (MIF). The cytostatic (growth arrest) effects of the hormones were assessed with proliferation assays,cell counting,flow cytometry,and a determination of the phosphorylation status of the retinoblastoma protein. The cytotoxic (apoptotic) effects were analyzed by assessing increases in caspase activity and cleavage of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase. RESULTS All of the clonally derived MCF-7 sublines expressed estrogen receptor and progesterone receptor but showed a wide range of antiestrogen sensitivity,including resistance to physiological levels of 4-OHT. Importantly,all of the clones were sensitive to the antiprogestin MIF,whether used as a monotherapy or in combination with 4-OHT. MIF induced retinoblastoma activation,G(1) arrest,and apoptosis preceded by caspase activation. CONCLUSIONS We demonstrate that: (a) estrogen receptor(+)progesterone receptor(+),4-OHT-resistant clonal variants can be isolated from an MCF-7 cell line in the absence of antiestrogen selection; and (b) MIF and MIF plus 4-OHT combination therapy induces growth arrest and active cell death of the antiestrogen-resistant breast cancer cells. These preclinical findings show potential for a combined hormonal regimen of an antiestrogen and an antiprogestin to combat the emergence of antiestrogen-resistant breast cancer cells and,ultimately,improve the therapeutic index of antiestrogen therapy. View Publication

Increased extracellular sodium activates Th17 cells,which provide protection from bacterial and fungal infections. Whilst high salt diets have been shown to worsen autoimmune disease,the immunological consequences of clinical salt depletion are unknown. Here,we investigate immunity in patients with inherited salt-losing tubulopathies (SLT). Forty-seven genotyped SLT patients (with Bartter,Gitelman or EAST Syndromes) are recruited. Clinical features of dysregulated immunity are recorded with a standardised questionnaire and immunological investigations of IL-17 responsiveness undertaken. The effects of altering extracellular ionic concentrations on immune responses are then assessed. Patients are hypokalaemic and hypomagnesaemic,with reduced interstitial sodium stores determined by 23Na-magnetic resonance imaging. SLT patients report increased mucosal infections and allergic disease compared to age-matched controls. Aligned with their clinical phenotype,SLT patients have an increased ratio of Th2:Th17 cells. SLT Th17 and Tc17 polarisation is reduced in vitro,yet STAT1 and STAT3 phosphorylation and calcium flux following T cell activation are unaffected. In control cells,the addition of extracellular sodium (+40 mM),potassium (+2 mM),or magnesium (+1 mM) reduces Th2:Th17 ratio and augments Th17 polarisation. Our results thus show that the ionic environment typical in SLT impairs IL-17 immunity,but the intracellular pathways that mediate salt-driven Th17 polarisation are intact and in vitro IL-17 responses can be reinvigorated by increasing extracellular sodium concentration. Whether better correction of extracellular ions can rescue the immunophenotype in vivo in SLT patients remains unknown. View Publication

Although regenerative medicine products are at the forefront of scientific research,technological innovation,and clinical translation,their reproducibility and large-scale production are compromised by automation,monitoring,and standardization issues. To overcome these limitations,new technologies at software (e.g.,algorithms and artificial intelligence models,combined with imaging software and machine learning techniques) and hardware (e.g.,automated liquid handling,automated cell expansion bioreactor systems,automated colony-forming unit counting and characterization units,and scalable cell culture plates) level are under intense investigation. Automation,monitoring and standardization should be considered at the early stages of the developmental cycle of cell products to deliver more robust and effective therapies and treatment plans to the bedside,reducing healthcare expenditure and improving services and patient care. View Publication

Autophagy is a cellular catabolic process responsible for the degradation of cytoplasmic constituents,including organelles and long-lived proteins,that helps maintain cellular homeostasis and protect against various cellular stresses. Verteporfin is a benzoporphyrin derivative used clinically in photodynamic therapy to treat macular degeneration. Verteporfin was recently found to inhibit autophagosome formation by an unknown mechanism that does not require exposure to light. We report that verteporfin directly targets and modifies p62,a scaffold and adaptor protein that binds both polyubiquitinated proteins destined for degradation and LC3 on autophagosomal membranes. Western blotting experiments revealed that exposure of cells or purified p62 to verteporfin causes the formation of covalently crosslinked p62 oligomers by a mechanism involving low-level singlet oxygen production. Rose bengal,a singlet oxygen producer structurally unrelated to verteporfin,also produced crosslinked p62 oligomers and inhibited autophagosome formation. Co-immunoprecipitation experiments demonstrated that crosslinked p62 oligomers retain their ability to bind to LC3 but show defective binding to polyubiquitinated proteins. Mutations in the p62 PB1 domain that abolish self-oligomerization also abolished crosslinked oligomer formation. Interestingly,small amounts of crosslinked p62 oligomers were detected in untreated cells,and other groups noted the accumulation of p62 forms with reduced SDS-PAGE mobility in cellular and animal models of oxidative stress and aging. These data indicate that p62 is particularly susceptible to oxidative crosslinking and lead us to propose a model whereby oxidized crosslinked p62 oligomers generated rapidly by drugs like verteporfin or over time during the aging process interfere with autophagy. View Publication

We used synthetic lethal high-throughput screening to interrogate 23,550 compounds for their ability to kill engineered tumorigenic cells but not their isogenic normal cell counterparts. We identified known and novel compounds with genotype-selective activity,including doxorubicin,daunorubicin,mitoxantrone,camptothecin,sangivamycin,echinomycin,bouvardin,NSC146109,and a novel compound that we named erastin. These compounds have increased activity in the presence of hTERT,the SV40 large and small T oncoproteins,the human papillomavirus type 16 (HPV) E6 and E7 oncoproteins,and oncogenic HRAS. We found that overexpressing hTERT and either E7 or LT increased expression of topoisomerase 2alpha and that overexpressing RAS(V12) and ST both increased expression of topoisomerase 1 and sensitized cells to a nonapoptotic cell death process initiated by erastin. View Publication

BACKGROUND While essential to the normal differentiation of ciliated airway epithelial cells,upregulated Wnt signaling in chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (CRSwNP) has been proposed to result in abnormal epithelial morphology and dysfunctional mucociliary clearance. The mechanism of epithelial Wnt signaling dysregulation in CRSwNP is unknown,and importantly cellular sources of Wnt ligands in CRSwNP have not yet been investigated. METHODS Human sinonasal epithelial cells (hSNECs) and human sinonasal fibroblasts (hSNFs) were collected from 34 human subjects (25 control and 9 CRSwNP) and differentiated as primary air-liquid interface (ALI) and organoid co-cultures. hSNECs were isolated to the apical compartment of the transwell and hSNFs were isolated to the basolateral compartment. After 21 days of ALI culture,ciliary expression and sinonasal epithelial morphology were examined by immunohistochemistry (IHC) and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). An organoid model was used to evaluate proliferation of basal cells in presence of hSNFs. RESULTS Epithelial cells co-cultured with CRSwNP-hSNFs revealed significantly decreased ciliated cells,altered epithelial cell morphology,and increased colony forming efficiency compared to epithelial cells co-cultured with control-hSNFs. CRSwNP-hSNFs showed significantly higher messenger RNA (mRNA) expression of canonical WNT3A. A Wnt agonist,CHIR99021,replicated CRSwNP-hSNF co-cultures,and treatment with the Wnt inhibitor IWP2 prevented abnormal morphologies. CONCLUSION These results suggest that abnormal interactions between epithelial cells and fibroblasts may contribute to CRSwNP pathogenesis and supports the concept that dysregulated Wnt signaling contributes impairment to epithelial function in CRSwNP. View Publication

Inhibition of the metabolic regulator AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is increasingly being investigated for its therapeutic potential in diseases where AMPK hyperactivity results in poor prognoses,as in established cancers and neurodegeneration. However,AMPK-inhibitory tool compounds are largely limited to compound C,which has a poor selectivity profile. Here we identify the pyrimidine derivative SBI-0206965 as a direct AMPK inhibitor. SBI-0206965 inhibits AMPK with 40-fold greater potency and markedly lower kinase promiscuity than compound C and inhibits cellular AMPK signaling. Biochemical characterization reveals that SBI-0206965 is a mixed-type inhibitor. A co-crystal structure of the AMPK kinase domain/SBI-0206965 complex shows that the drug occupies a pocket that partially overlaps the ATP active site in a type IIb inhibitor manner. SBI-0206965 has utility as a tool compound for investigating physiological roles for AMPK and provides fresh impetus to small-molecule AMPK inhibitor therapeutic development. View Publication

Cystic fibrosis (CF),a disease caused by mutations in the CF transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) gene,is characterized by chronic bacterial infections and inflammation in the lung. Having previously shown that deletion of CFTR is associated with lower expression of the endogenous anti-inflammatory protein Annexin A1 (AnxA1),we investigated further this possible functional connection using a validated CFTR inhibitor. Treatment of mice with the CFTR inhibitor-172 (CFTR(172)) augmented the acute peritonitis promoted by zymosan,an effect associated with lower AnxA1 levels in peritoneal cells. Similar results were obtained with another,chemically distinct,CFTR inhibitor. The pro-inflammatory effect of CFTR(172) was lost in AnxA1(-/-),as well as CFTR(-/-) mice. Importantly,administration of hrAnxA1 and its peptido-mimetic to CFTR(-/-) animals or to animals treated with CFTR(172) corrected the exaggerated leukocyte migration seen in these animals. In vitro assays with human Polymorphonuclear leukocyte (PMN) demonstrated that CFTR(172) reduced cell-associated AnxA1 by promoting release of the protein in microparticles. We propose that the reduced impact of the counterregulatory properties of AnxA1 in CF cells contributes to the inflammatory phenotype characteristic of this disease. Thus,these findings provide an important insight into the mechanism underlying the inflammatory disease associated with CFTR inhibition while,at the same time,providing a novel pharmacological target for controlling the inflammatory phenotype of CF. View Publication

In human cytomegalovirus (HCMV)-seropositive patients,CD34+ hematopoietic progenitor cells (HPCs) provide an important source of latent virus that reactivates following cellular differentiation into tissue macrophages. Multiple groups have used primary CD34+ HPCs to investigate mechanisms of viral latency. However,analyses of mechanisms of HCMV latency have been hampered by the genetic variability of CD34+ HPCs from different donors,availability of cells,and low frequency of reactivation. In addition,multiple progenitor cell types express surface CD34,and the frequencies of these populations differ depending on the tissue source of the cells and culture conditions in vitro In this study,we generated CD34+ progenitor cells from two different embryonic stem cell (ESC) lines,WA01 and WA09,to circumvent limitations associated with primary CD34+ HPCs. HCMV infection of CD34+ HPCs derived from either WA01 or WA09 ESCs supported HCMV latency and induced myelosuppression similar to infection of primary CD34+ HPCs. Analysis of HCMV-infected primary or ESC-derived CD34+ HPC subpopulations indicated that HCMV was able to establish latency and reactivate in CD38+ CD90+ and CD38+/low CD90- HPCs but persistently infected CD38- CD90+ cells to produce infectious virus. These results indicate that ESC-derived CD34+ HPCs can be used as a model for HCMV latency and that the virus either latently or persistently infects specific subpopulations of CD34+ cells.IMPORTANCE Human cytomegalovirus infection is associated with severe disease in transplant patients and understanding how latency and reactivation occur in stem cell populations is essential to understand disease. CD34+ hematopoietic progenitor cells (HPCs) are a critical viral reservoir; however,these cells are a heterogeneous pool with donor-to-donor variation in functional,genetic,and phenotypic characteristics. We generated a novel system using embryonic stem cell lines to model HCMV latency and reactivation in HPCs with a consistent cellular background. Our study defined three key stem cell subsets with differentially regulated latent and replicative states,which provide cellular candidates for isolation and treatment of transplant-mediated disease. This work provides a direction toward developing strategies to control the switch between latency and reactivation. View Publication

Latrunculin A,a toxin purified from the red sea sponge Latrunculia magnifica,was found previously to induce striking reversible changes in the morphology of mammalian cells in culture and to disrupt the organization of their microfilaments. We now provide evidence that latrunculin A affects the polymerization of pure actin in vitro in a manner consistent with the formation of a 1:1 molar complex between latrunculin A and G-actin. The equilibrium dissociation constant (Kd) for the reaction in vitro is about 0.2 microM whereas the effects of the drug on cultured cells are detectable at concentrations in the medium of 0.1-1 microM. View Publication

Receptor tyrosine kinases (RTK) are therapeutic targets for the treatment of malignancy. However,tumor cells develop resistance to targeted therapies through the activation of parallel signaling cascades. Recent evidence has shown that redundant or compensatory survival signals responsible for resistance are initiated by nontargeted glycoprotein RTKs coexpressed by the cell. We hypothesized that disrupting specific functions of the posttranslational machinery of the secretory pathway would be an effective strategy to target both primary and redundant RTK signaling. Using the N-linked glycosylation inhibitor,tunicamycin,we show that expression levels of several RTKS (EGFR,ErbB2,ErbB3,and IGF-IR) are exquisitely sensitive to inhibition of N-linked glycosylation. Disrupting this synthetic process reduces both cellular protein levels and receptor activity in tumor cells through retention of the receptors in the endoplasmic reticulum/Golgi compartments. Using U251 glioma and BXPC3 pancreatic adenocarcinoma cell lines,two cell lines resistant to epidermal growth factor receptor-targeted therapies,we show that inhibiting N-linked glycosylation markedly reduces RTK signaling through Akt and radiosensitizes tumor cells. In comparison,experiments in nontransformed cells showed neither a reduction in RTK-dependent signaling nor an enhancement in radiosensitivity,suggesting the potential for a therapeutic ratio between tumors and normal tissues. This study provides evidence that enzymatic steps regulating N-linked glycosylation are novel targets for developing approaches to sensitize tumor cells to cytotoxic therapies. View Publication

Lentiviral-mediated integration of a CFTR transgene cassette into airway basal cells is a strategy being considered for cystic fibrosis (CF) cell-based therapies. However,CFTR expression is highly regulated in differentiated airway cell types and a subset of intermediate basal cells destined to differentiate. Since basal stem cells typically do not express CFTR,suppressing the CFTR expression from the lentiviral vector in airway basal cells may be beneficial for maintaining their proliferative capacity and multipotency. We identified miR-106b as highly expressed in proliferating airway basal cells and extinguished in differentiated columnar cells. Herein,we developed lentiviral vectors with the miR-106b-target sequence (miRT) to both study miR-106b regulation during basal cell differentiation and detarget CFTR expression in basal cells. Given that miR-106b is expressed in the 293T cells used for viral production,obstacles of viral genome integrity and titers were overcome by creating a 293T-B2 cell line that inducibly expresses the RNAi suppressor B2 protein from flock house virus. While miR-106b vectors effectively detargeted reporter gene expression in proliferating basal cells and following differentiation in the air-liquid interface and organoid cultures,the CFTR-miRT vector produced significantly less CFTR-mediated current than the non-miR-targeted CFTR vector following transduction and differentiation of CF basal cells. These findings suggest that miR-106b is expressed in certain airway cell types that contribute to the majority of CFTR anion transport in airway epithelium. View Publication