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Previous study demonstrated that the low survival of human embryonic stem cells (hESC) under conventional slow-cooling cryopreservation protocols is predominantly due to apoptosis rather than cellular necrosis. Hence,this study investigated whether a synthetic broad-spectrum irreversible inhibitor of caspase enzymes,Z-VAD-FMK can be used to enhance the post-thaw survival rate of hESC. About 100 mM Z-VAD-FMK was supplemented into either the freezing solution,the post-thaw culture media or both. Intact and adherent hESC colonies were cryopreserved so as to enable subsequent quantitation of the post-thaw cell survival rate through the MTT assay,which can only be performed with adherent cells. Exposure to 100 mM Z-VAD-FMK in the freezing solution alone did not significantly enhance the post-thaw survival rate (10.2{\%} vs. 9.9{\%},p {\textgreater} 0.05). However,when 100 mM Z-VAD-FMK was added to the post-thaw culture media,there was a significant enhancement in the survival rate from 9.9{\%} to 14.4{\%} (p {\textless} 0.05),which was further increased to 18.7{\%} when Z-VAD-FMK was also added to the freezing solution as well (p {\textless} 0.01). Spontaneous differentiation of hESC after cryopreservation was assessed by morphological observations under bright-field microscopy,and by immunocytochemical staining for the pluripotency markers SSEA-3 and TRA-1-81. The results demonstrated that exposure to Z-VAD-FMK did not significantly enhance the spontaneous differentiation of hESC within post-thaw culture. View Publication

The bleomycin group antitumor antibiotics have long been of interest as a consequence of their efficacy in the treatment of certain tumors,not to mention their unique structures and properties in mediating dioxygen activation and sequence selective degradation of DNA. At a chemical level,the structure originally assigned to bleomycin was subsequently reassigned and the new structure has been confirmed by total synthesis. Through the elaboration of structurally modified bleomycin congeners and fragments,synthetic efforts have also facilitated an understanding of the contribution of individual structural domains in bleomycin to sequence selective DNA binding and cleavage,and have also provided insights into the nature of the chemical processes by which DNA degradation takes place. Within the last several years,it has also become apparent that bleomycin can mediate the oxidative degradation of all major classes of cellular RNAs; it seems entirely plausible that RNA may also represent an important locus of action for this class of antitumor agent. In parallel with ongoing synthetic and mechanistic efforts using classical methods,the study of bleomycins attached to solid supports has been shown to provide important mechanistic insights,and the actual elaboration of modified bleomycins by solid phase synthesis constitutes a logical extension of such efforts. View Publication

Metastases kill 90{\%} of cancer patients. It is thus a major challenge in cancer therapy to inhibit the spreading of tumor cells from primary tumor sites to those particular organs where metastases are likely to occur. Whereas the actin cytoskeleton is a key component involved in cell migration,agents targeting actin dynamics have been relatively poorly investigated. Consequently,valuable in vitro pharmacological tools are needed to selectively identify this type of agent. In response to the absence of any standardized process,the present work aims to develop a multi-assay strategy for screening actin-affecting drugs with anti-migratory potentials. To validate our approach,we used two cancer cell lines (MCF7 and A549) and three actin-affecting drugs (cytochalasin D,latrunculin A,and jasplakinolide). We quantified the effects of these drugs on the kinetics of actin polymerization in tubes (by means of spectrofluorimetry) and on the dynamics of actin cytoskeletons within whole cells (by means of fluorescence microscopy). Using quantitative videomicroscopy,we investigated the actual effects of the drugs on cell motility. Finally,the combined drug effects on cell motility and cell growth were evaluated by means of a scratch-wound assay. While our results showed concordant drug-induced effects on actin polymerization occurring in vitro in test tubes and within whole cells,the whole cell assay appeared more sensitive than the tube assay. The inhibition of actin polymerization induced by cytochalasin D was paralleled by a decrease in cell motility for both cell types. In the case of jasplakinolide,which induces actin polymerization,while it significantly enhanced the locomotion of the A549 cells,it significantly inhibited that of the MCF-7 ones. All these effects were confirmed by means of the scratch-wound assay except of the jasplakinolide-induced effects on MCF-7 cell motility. These later seemed compensated by an additional effect occurring during wound recolonization (possibly acting on the cell growth features). In conclusion,the use of multi-assays with different levels of sophistication and biological relevance is recommended in the screening of new actin-affecting drugs with potentially anti-migratory effects. View Publication

Deregulation of apoptosis,the physiological form of cell death,is closely associated with immunological diseases and cancer. Apoptosis is activated either by death receptor-driven or mitochondrial pathways,both of which may provide potential targets for novel anticancer drugs. Although several ligands stimulating death receptors have been described,the actual molecular events triggering the mitochondrial pathway are largely unknown. Here,we show initiation of apoptosis by gradual depletion of the intracellular coenzyme NAD+. We identified the first low molecular weight compound,designated FK866,which induces apoptosis by highly specific,noncompetitive inhibition of nicotinamide phosphoribosyltransferase (NAPRT),a key enzyme in the regulation of NAD+ biosynthesis from the natural precursor nicotinamide. Interference with this enzyme does not primarily intoxicate cells because the mitochondrial respiratory activity and the NAD+ -dependent redox reactions involved remain unaffected as long as NAD+ is not effectively depleted by catabolic reactions. Certain tissues,however,have a high turnover of NAD+ through its cleavage by enzymes like poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase. Such cells often rely on the more readily available nicotinamide pathway for NAD+ synthesis and undergo apoptosis after inhibition of NAPRT,whereas cells effectively using the nicotinic acid pathway for NAD+ synthesis remain unaffected. In support of this concept,FK866 effectively induced delayed cell death by apoptosis in HepG2 human liver carcinoma cells with an IC(50) of approximately 1 nM,did not directly inhibit mitochondrial respiratory activity,but caused gradual NAD+ depletion through specific inhibition of NAPRT. This enzyme,when partially purified from K562 human leukemia cells,was noncompetitively inhibited by FK866,and the inhibitor constants were calculated to be 0.4 nM for the enzyme/substrate complex (K(i)) and 0.3 nM for the free enzyme (K(i)'),respectively. Nicotinic acid and nicotinamide were both found to have antidote potential for the cellular effects of FK866. FK866 may be used for treatment of diseases implicating deregulated apoptosis such as cancer for immunosuppression or as a sensitizer for genotoxic agents. Furthermore,it may provide an important tool for investigation of the molecular triggers of the mitochondrial pathway leading to apoptosis through enabling temporal separation of NAD+ decrease from ATP breakdown and apoptosis by several days. View Publication

Collective invasion can be led by breast cancer cells expressing basal epithelial markers,typified by keratin-14 (KRT14). We analyzed gene expression data from The Cancer Genome Atlas and demonstrated a significant correlation between a KRT14+ invasion signature and a stromal-mediated extracellular matrix (ECM) organization module. We then developed a novel coculture model of tumor organoids with autologous stromal cells. Coculture significantly increased KRT14 expression and invasion of organoids from both luminal and basal murine breast cancer models. However,stromal cell conditioned medium induced invasion but not KRT14 expression. Cancer cells released TGF$\beta$ and that signaling pathway was required for stromal cell-induced invasion and KRT14 expression. Mechanistically,TGF$\beta$ induced NOX4 expression in stromal cells and NOX4 inhibition reduced invasion and KRT14 expression. In summary,we developed a novel coculture model and revealed dynamic molecular interactions between stromal cells and cancer cells that regulate both basal gene expression and invasive behavior. IMPLICATIONS: Fibroblasts within mammary tumors can regulate the molecular phenotype and invasive behavior of breast cancer cells. VISUAL OVERVIEW: http://mcr.aacrjournals.org/content/molcanres/18/11/1615/F1.large.jpg. View Publication

Olive oil intake has been shown to induce significant levels of apoptosis in various cancer cells. These anti-cancer properties are thought to be mediated by phenolic compounds present in olive. These beneficial health effects of olive have been attributed,at least in part,to the presence of oleuropein and hydroxytyrosol. In this study,oleuropein and hydroxytyrosol,major phenolic compound of olive oil,was studied for its effects on growth in MCF-7 human breast cancer cells using assays for proliferation (MTT assay),cell viability (Guava ViaCount assay),cell apoptosis,cellcycle (flow cytometry). Oleuropein or hydroxytyrosol decreased cell viability,inhibited cell proliferation,and induced cell apoptosis in MCF-7 cells. Result of MTT assay showed that 200 mug/mL of oleuropein or 50 mug/mL of hydroxytyrosol remarkably reduced cell viability of MCF-7 cells. Oleuropein or hydroxytyrosol decrease of the number of MCF-7 cells by inhibiting the rate of cell proliferation and inducing cell apoptosis. Also hydroxytyrosol and oleuropein exhibited statistically significant block of G(1) to S phase transition manifested by the increase of cell number in G(0)/G(1) phase. View Publication

BACKGROUND Asthma is a heterogenous disease characterized by chronic inflammation and airway remodeling. An increase in the severity of airway remodeling is associated with a more severe form of asthma. There is increasing interest in the epithelial to mesenchymal transition process and mechanisms involved in the differentiation and repair of the airway epithelium,especially as they apply to severe asthma. Growing evidence suggests that Epithelial-Mesenchymal transition (EMT) could contribute to airway remodeling and fibrosis in asthma. Severe asthmatic patients with remodeled airways have a neutrophil driven inflammation. Neutrophils are an important source of TGF-$\beta$1,which plays a role in recruitment and activation of inflammatory cells,extracellular matrix (ECM) production and fibrosis development,and is a potent inducer of EMT. OBJECTIVE As there is little data examining the contribution of neutrophils and/or their mediators to the induction of EMT in airway epithelial cells,the objective of this study was to better understand the potential role of neutrophils in severe asthma in regards to EMT. METHODS We used an in vitro system to investigate the neutrophil-epithelial cell interaction. We obtained peripheral blood neutrophils from severe asthmatic patients and control subjects and examined for their ability to induce EMT in primary airway epithelial cells. RESULTS Our data indicate that neutrophils from severe asthmatic patients induce changes in morphology and EMT marker expression in bronchial epithelial cells consistent with the EMT process when co-cultured. TGF-$\beta$1 levels in the culture medium of severe asthmatic patients were increased compared to that from co-cultures of non-asthmatic neutrophils and epithelial cells. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE As an inducer of EMT and an important source of TGF-$\beta$1,neutrophils may play a significant role in the development of airway remodeling and fibrosis in severe asthmatic airways. View Publication

A mysterious feature of Crohn's disease (CD) is the extra-intestinal manifestation of creeping fat" (CrF) defined as expansion of mesenteric adipose tissue around the inflamed and fibrotic intestine. In the current study we explore whether microbial translocation in CD serves as a central cue for CrF development. We discovered a subset of mucosal-associated gut bacteria that consistently translocated and remained viable in CrF in CD ileal surgical resections and identified Clostridium innocuum as a signature of this consortium with strain variation between mucosal and adipose isolates suggesting preference for lipid-rich environments. Single-cell RNA sequencing characterized CrF as both pro-fibrotic and pro-adipogenic with a rich milieu of activated immune cells responding to microbial stimuli which we confirm in gnotobiotic mice colonized with C. innocuum. Ex vivo validation of expression patterns suggests C. innocuum stimulates tissue remodeling via M2 macrophages leading to an adipose tissue barrier that serves to prevent systemic dissemination of bacteria." View Publication

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Currently approved immune checkpoint inhibitor therapies targeting the PD-1 and CTLA-4 receptor pathways are powerful treatment options for certain cancers; however,most patients across cancer types still fail to respond. Consequently,there is interest in discovering and blocking alternative pathways that mediate immune suppression. One such mechanism is an upregulation of sialoglycans in malignancy,which has been recently shown to inhibit immune cell activation through multiple mechanisms and therefore represents a targetable glycoimmune checkpoint. Since these glycans are not canonically druggable,we designed an $\alpha$HER2 antibody-sialidase conjugate that potently and selectively strips diverse sialoglycans from breast cancer cells. In syngeneic breast cancer models,desialylation enhanced immune cell infiltration and activation and prolonged the survival of mice,an effect that was dependent on expression of the Siglec-E checkpoint receptor found on tumor-infiltrating myeloid cells. Thus,antibody-sialidase conjugates represent a promising modality for glycoimmune checkpoint therapy. View Publication