参考文献

BACKGROUND: At therapeutic concentrations,the antineoplastic agent taxol selectively perturbs mitotic spindle microtubules. Taxol has recently been shown to induce apoptosis,similar to the mechanism of cell death induced by other antineoplastic agents. However,taxol has shown efficacy against drug-refractory cancers,raising the possibility that this pharmacological agent may trigger an alternative apoptotic pathway. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The kinetics and IC50 of mitotic (M) block,aberrant mitosis,and cytotoxicity following taxol treatment were analyzed in human cell lines as well as normal mouse embryo fibroblasts (MEFs) and MEFs derived from p53-null mice. Apoptosis was followed by DNA gel electrophoresis and by in situ DNA end-labeling (TUNEL). RESULTS: Taxol induced two forms of cell cycle arrest: either directly in early M at prophase or,for those cells progressing through aberrant mitosis,arrest in G1 as multimininucleated cells. TUNEL labeling revealed that DNA nicking occurred within 30 min of the arrest in prophase. In contrast,G1-arrested,multimininucleated cells became TUNEL positive only after several days. In the subset of cells that became blocked directly in prophase,both wt p53-expressing and p53-null MEFs responded similarly to taxol,showing rapid onset of DNA nicking and apoptosis. However,p53-null MEFs progressing through aberrant mitosis failed to arrest in the subsequent G1 phase or to become TUNEL positive,and remained viable. CONCLUSIONS: Taxol induces two forms of cell cycle arrest,which in turn induce two independent apoptotic pathways. Arrest in prophase induces rapid onset of a p53-independent pathway,whereas G1-block and the resulting slow (3-5 days) apoptotic pathway are p53 dependent. View Publication

The cytotoxicity of paclitaxel against eight human tumour cell lines has been studied with in vitro clonogenic assays. The fraction of surviving cells fell sharply after exposure for 24 h to paclitaxel concentrations ranging from 2 to 20 nM; the paclitaxel IC50 was found to range between 2.5 and 7.5 nM. Increasing the paclitaxel concentration above 50 nM,however,resulted in no additional cytotoxicity after a 24 h drug exposure. Cells incubated in very high concentrations of paclitaxel (10,000 nM) had an increase in survival compared with cells treated with lower concentrations of the drug. Prolonging the time of exposure of cells to paclitaxel from 24 to 72 h increased cytotoxicity from 5 to 200 fold in different cell lines. Exponentially growing cells were more sensitive to paclitaxel than were cells in the plateau phase of growth. Cremophor EL,the diluent in which the clinical preparation of paclitaxel is formulated,antagonised paclitaxel at concentrations of 0.135% (v/v). These data suggest that paclitaxel will be most effective clinically when there is prolonged exposure of tumour to the drug. Further,it appears that modest concentrations (i.e.,50 nM) should be as effective as higher concentrations of paclitaxel. Finally,we have noted that Cremophor EL is a biologically active diluent and,at high concentrations (0.135% v/v),can antagonise paclitaxel cytotoxicity. View Publication

The microbial product wortmannin has previously been shown to be a potent inhibitor of phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase. In view of the potential role of this enzyme in transduction of mitogenic signals,we determined the cytotoxic activity of wortmannin against several human tumor cell lines in vitro. The most sensitive lines included GC3 colon carcinoma,IGROV1 ovarian carcinoma,and CCRF-CEM leukemia (IC-50s ranging from 0.7-2.1 microM). The cytotoxicity of wortmannin was decreased approximately 10-fold by serum-free conditions. Wortmannin was generally less active in low passage human breast cancer cell lines that overexpress either epidermal growth factor receptor or Her2/neu. Wortmannin was also tested for in vivo antitumor activity against seven murine tumor and ten human tumor xenograft models. Activity (textgreater 60% inhibition of tumor growth) was observed in only the C3H mammary carcinoma and the human BxPC-3 pancreatic carcinoma xenograft. In vivo antitumor activity did not correlate with in vitro sensitivity to wortmannin cytotoxicity. View Publication

Taxol stabilizes microtubules,prevents tubulin depolymerization,and promotes tubulin bundling and is one of the most effective drugs for the treatment of metastatic breast and ovarian cancer. Although its interaction with tubulin has been well characterized,the mechanism by which taxol induces growth arrest and cytotoxicity is not well understood. Herein,we show that taxol induced dose- and time-dependent accumulation of the cyclin inhibitor p21WAF1 in both p53 wild-type and p53-null cells,although the degree of induction was greater in cells expressing wild-type p53. In MCF7 cells,wild-type p53 protein was also induced after taxol treatment,and this induction was mediated primarily by increased protein stability. Taxol induced both p21WAF1 and wild-type p53 optimally in MCF7 cells after 20-24-h exposure with an EC50(3) of 5 nM. In p53-null PC3M cells,p21WAF1 was similarly induced after 24-h exposure to taxol. Coincident with these biochemical effects,taxol altered the electrophoretic mobility of c-raf-1 and stimulated mitogen activated protein kinase. Previous depletion of c-raf-1 inhibited both the p21WAF1- and p53-inducing properties of taxol,as well as the activation of MAP kinase. These data suggest that induction of p21WAF1 by taxol requires c-raf-1 activity,but that it is not strictly dependent on wild-type p53. Furthermore,the ability of taxol to both induce wild-type p53 in MCF7 cells and activate MAP kinase is also dependent on c-raf-1 expression. View Publication

The relevance of blood-based assays to monitor minimal residual disease (MRD) in non-metastatic prostate cancer (PCa) remains unclear. Proving that clinically relevant circulating tumor cells (CTCs) can be detected with available technologies could address this. This study aimed to improve CTC detection in non-metastatic PCa patients by combining three independent CTC assays: the CellSearch system,an in vivo CellCollector and the EPISPOT. Peripheral blood samples from high-risk PCa patients were screened for CTCs before and three months after radical prostatectomy (RP). Combining the results of both time points,CTCs were detected in 37{\%},54.9{\%} and 58.7{\%} of patients using CellSearch,CellCollector and EPISPOT,respectively. The cumulative positivity rate of the three CTC assays was 81.3{\%} (87/107) with 21.5{\%} (23/107) of patients harboring ≥5 CTCs/7.5 ml blood. Matched pair analysis of 30 blood samples taken before and after surgery indicated a significant decrease in CTCs captured by the CellCollector from 66{\%} before RP to 34{\%} after therapy (p = 0.031). CTC detection by EPISPOT before RP significantly correlated with PSA serum values (p {\textless} 0.0001) and clinical tumor stage (p = 0.04),while the other assays showed no significant correlations. In conclusion,CTC-based liquid biopsies have the potential to monitor MRD in patients with non-metastatic prostate cancer. View Publication

The cytogenetic analysis of plasma cell myeloma (PCM) allows stratification of patients so that prognosis may be determined and appropriate therapeutic options can be discussed. Owing to the patchy nature of the disease in the bone marrow (BM),the low proliferative activity of plasma cells and the cryptic nature of some PCM-associated cytogenetic changes,karyotypic analysis in this disease should be augmented with targeted interphase fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). Immunofluorescent revelation of cytoplasmic immunoglobulin light chains,together with interphase FISH (cIg-FISH),allows the identification of plasma cells within a sample so that they may be scored preferentially. This is particularly useful in situations where there are only a small percentage of plasma cells in a sample. Where an underlying myeloid disease is suspected the cIg-FISH-negative cells can be scored separately. Two methods are provided in this chapter: the technique for cIg-FISH in fresh PCM BM samples and a procedure for use in fixed cytogenetics preparations. View Publication

Although the majority of patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) initially respond to chemotherapy,many of them subsequently relapse,and the mechanistic basis for AML persistence following chemotherapy has not been determined. Recurrent somatic mutations in DNA methyltransferase 3A (DNMT3A),most frequently at arginine 882 (DNMT3A(R882)),have been observed in AML and in individuals with clonal hematopoiesis in the absence of leukemic transformation. Patients with DNMT3A(R882) AML have an inferior outcome when treated with standard-dose daunorubicin-based induction chemotherapy,suggesting that DNMT3A(R882) cells persist and drive relapse. We found that Dnmt3a mutations induced hematopoietic stem cell expansion,cooperated with mutations in the FMS-like tyrosine kinase 3 gene (Flt3(ITD)) and the nucleophosmin gene (Npm1(c)) to induce AML in vivo,and promoted resistance to anthracycline chemotherapy. In patients with AML,the presence of DNMT3A(R882) mutations predicts minimal residual disease,underscoring their role in AML chemoresistance. DNMT3A(R882) cells showed impaired nucleosome eviction and chromatin remodeling in response to anthracycline treatment,which resulted from attenuated recruitment of histone chaperone SPT-16 following anthracycline exposure. This defect led to an inability to sense and repair DNA torsional stress,which resulted in increased mutagenesis. Our findings identify a crucial role for DNMT3A(R882) mutations in driving AML chemoresistance and highlight the importance of chromatin remodeling in response to cytotoxic chemotherapy. View Publication

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Cancer-targeting alkylphosphocholine (APC) analogs are being clinically developed for diagnostic imaging,intraoperative visualization,and therapeutic applications. These APC analogs derived from chemically-synthesized phospholipid ethers were identified and optimized for cancer-targeting specificity using extensive structure-activity studies. While they strongly label human brain cancers associated with disrupted blood-brain barriers (BBB),APC permeability across intact BBB remains unknown. Three of our APC analogs,CLR1404 (PET radiotracer),CLR1501 (green fluorescence),and CLR1502 (near infrared fluorescence),were tested for permeability across a BBB model composed of human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived brain microvascular endothelial cells (iPSC-derived BMECs). This in vitro BBB system has reproducibly consistent high barrier integrity marked by high transendothelial electrical resistance (TEERtextgreater1500 Ω-cm(2)) and functional expression of drug efflux transporters. Our radioiodinated and fluorescent APC analogs demonstrated fairly low permeability across the iPSC-BMEC (35±5.7 (CLR1404),54±3.2 (CLR1501),and 26±4.9 (CLR1502) x10(-5) cm/min) compared with BBB-impermeable sucrose (13±2.5) and BBB-permeable diazepam (170±29). Only our fluorescent APC analogs (CLR1501,CLR1502) underwent BCRP and MRP polarized drug efflux transport in the brain-to-blood direction of the BBB model and this efflux can be specifically blocked with pharmacological inhibition. None of our tested APC analogs appeared to undergo substantial P-gp transport. Limited permeability of our APC analogs across an intact BBB into normal brain likely contributes to the high tumor to background ratios observed in initial human trials. Moreover,addition of fluorescent moieties to APCs resulted in greater BMEC efflux via MRP and BCRP,and may affect fluorescence-guided applications. Overall,the characterization of APC analog permeability across human BBB is significant for advancing future brain tumor-targeted applications of these agents. View Publication

CD38,as a cell surface antigen is highly expressed in several hematologic malignancies including multiple myeloma (MM) and has been proven to be a good target for immunotherapy of the disease. CD38 is also a signaling enzyme responsible for the metabolism of two novel calcium messenger molecules. To be able to target this multifunctional protein,we generated a series of nanobodies against CD38 with high affinities. Crystal structures of the complexes of CD38 with the nanobodies were solved,identifying three separate epitopes on the carboxyl domain. Chromobodies,engineered by tagging the nanobody with fluorescence proteins,provide fast,simple and versatile tools for quantifying CD38 expression. Results confirmed that CD38 was highly expressed in malignant MM cells compared with normal white blood cells. The immunotoxin constructed by splicing the nanobody with a bacterial toxin,PE38 shows highly selective cytotoxicity against patient-derived MM cells as well as the cell lines,with half maximal effective concentration reaching as low as 10(-11) molar. The effectiveness of the immunotoxin can be further increased by stimulating CD38 expression using retinoid acid. These results set the stage for the development of clinical therapeutics as well as diagnostic screening for myeloma. View Publication