Bingliang Fang

Bax-mediated Ca2+ mobilization promotes cytochrome c release during apoptosis

Previous studies have demonstrated that Ca2+ is released from the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) in some models of apoptosis, but the mechanisms involved and the functional significance remain obscure. We confirmed that apoptosis induced by some (but not all) proapoptotic stimuli was associated with caspase-independent, BCL-2-sensitive emptying of the ER Ca2+ pool in human PC-3 prostate cancer cells. This mobilization of ER Ca2+ was associated with a concomitant increase in mitochondrial Ca2+ levels, and neither ER Ca2+ mobilization nor mitochondrial Ca2+ uptake occurred in Bax-null DU-145 cells. Importantly, restoration of DU-145 Bax expression via adenoviral gene transfer restored ER Ca2+ release and mitochondrial Ca2+ uptake and dramatically accelerated the kinetics of staurosporine-induced cytochrome c release, demonstrating a requirement for Bax expression in this model system. In addition, an inhibitor of the mitochondrial Ca2+ uniporter (RU-360) attenuated mitochondrial Ca2+ uptake, cytochrome crelease, and DNA fragmentation, directly implicating the mitochondrial Ca2+ changes in cell death. Together, our data demonstrate that Bax-mediated alterations in ER and mitochondrial Ca2+ levels serve as important upstream signals for cytochrome c release in some examples of apoptosis.

Bik/NBK accumulation correlates with apoptosis-induction by bortezomib (PS-341, Velcade) and other proteasome inhibitors

Proteasome inhibitors have emerged as promising anticancer therapeutic agents. Bortezomib (PS-341), a specific proteasome inhibitor, exhibits antitumor activity against a wide range of malignancies and has been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma. However, the molecular mechanisms of bortezomib-mediated apoptosis remain unclear. To characterize the mechanisms of apoptosis induction by proteasome inhibitors, we examined levels of Bcl-2 protein family members (Bik/NBK, Bax, Bak, Bcl-2, and Bcl-XL), release of cytochrome c, and activation of caspase-9 and -3 in human colon cancer cell lines DLD1, LOVO, SW620, and HCT116; human lung cancer cell line H1299; and human ovarian cancer cell line SKOV3 after they were treated with bortezomib. The result showed that bortezomib induced rapid accumulation of Bik/NBK but not other Bcl-2 family members in all six cell lines. Bortezomib-mediated Bik/NBK accumulation and apoptosis were also observed in human embryonic kidney cells 293 and normal human bronchial epithelial cells. Moreover, dramatic Bik/NBK accumulation and apoptosis induction were observed when cells were treated with proteasome inhibitor MG132 and calpain inhibitor I (ALLN). Furthermore, no detectable changes in IκBα levels or in NFκB functionality were found after treatment with bortezomib. Finally, Bik/NBK accumulation was caused by stabilization of the protein from degradation and was associated with bortezomib cytotoxicity and apoptosis induction. Pretreatment of DLD1 cells with Bik/NBK siRNA reduced bortezomib-mediated Bik/NBK accumulation and cell death. Our results suggested that Bik/NBK is one of the mediators of proteasome inhibitor-induced apoptosis.

Combination treatment with MEK and AKT inhibitors is more effective than each drug alone in human non- small cell lung cancer in vitro and in vivo

AZD6244 and MK2206 are targeted small-molecule drugs that inhibit MEK and AKT respectively. The efficacy of this combination in lung cancer is unknown. Our previous work showed the importance of activated AKT in mediating resistance of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) to AZD6244. Thus we hypothesized that dual inhibition of both downstream MEK and AKT pathways would induce synergistic antitumor activity. In this study, we evaluated the efficacy of AZD6244 and MK2206 individually on a large panel of lung cancer cell lines. Then, we treated 28 human lung cancer cell lines with a combination of AZD6244 and MK2206 at clinically applicable drug molar ratios. The AZD6244-MK2206 combination therapy resulted in a synergistic effect on inhibition of lung cancer cell growth compared to the results of single drug treatment alone. MK2206 enhanced AZD6244-induced Bim overexpression and apoptosis in A549 and H157 cells. When we tested the combination of AZD6244 and MK2206 at ratios of 8∶1, 4∶1, 2∶1, and 1∶8, we found that the synergistic effect of the combination therapy was ratio-dependent. At ratios of 8∶1, 4∶1, and 2∶1, the drug combination consistently demonstrated synergy, whereas decreasing the ratio to 1∶8 resulted in a loss of synergy and produced an additive or antagonistic effect in most cell lines. Furthermore, the AZD6244-MK2206 combination therapy showed synergy in the suppression of A549 and H157 xenograft tumor growth and increased mean animal survival time. The AZD6244-MK2206 combination therapy resulted in effective inhibition of both p-ERK and p-AKT expression in tumor tissue. In addition, a significant increase of apoptosis was detected in tumor tissue from mice treated with AZD6244-MK2206 compared with that from the single agent treated mice. Our study suggests that the combination of AZD6244 and MK2206 has a significant synergistic effect on tumor growth in vitro and in vivo and leads to increased survival rates in mice bearing highly aggressive human lung tumors.

Adenovirus-mediated wild-type p53 tumor suppressor gene therapy induces apoptosis and suppresses growth of human pancreatic cancer

AbstractBackground: Thep53 tumor suppressor gene is mutated in up to 70% of pancreatic adenocarcinomas. We determined the effect of reintroduction of the wild-typep53 gene on proliferation and apoptosis in human pancreatic cancer cells using an adenoviral vector containing the wild-typep53 tumor suppressor gene. Methods: Transduction efficiencies of six p53-mutant pancreatic cancer cell lines (AsPC-1, BxPC-3, Capan-1, CFPAC-1, MIA PaCa-2, and PANC-1) were determined using the reporter gene construct Ad5/CMV/β-gal. Cell proliferation was monitored using a3H-thymidine incorporation assay, Western blot analysis forp53 expression was performed, and DNA laddering and fluorescence-activated cell sorter analysis were used to assess apoptosis.p53 gene therapy was tested in vivo in a subcutaneous tumor model. Results: The cell lines varied in transduction efficiency. The MIA PaCa-2 cells had the highest transduction efficiency, with 65% of pancreatic tumor cells staining positive for beta-galactosidase (β-gal) at a multiplicity of infection (MOI) of 50. At the same MOI, only 15% of the CFPAC-1 cells expressed the β-gal gene. Adenovirus-mediatedp53 gene transfer suppressed growth of all human pancreatic cancer cell lines in a dose-dependent manner. Western blot analysis confirmed the presence of the p53 protein product at 48 hours after infection. DNA ladders demonstrated increased chromatin degradation, and fluorescence-activated cell sorter analysis demonstrated a four-fold increase in apoptotic cells at 48 and 72 hours following infection with Ad5/CMV/p53 in the MIA PaCa-2 and PANC-1 cells. Suppression of tumor growth mediated by induction of apoptosis was observed in vivo in an established nude mouse subcutaneous tumor model following intratumoral injections of Ad5/CMV/p53. Conclusions: Introduction of the wild-typep53 gene using an adenoviral vector in pancreatic cancer withp53 mutations induces apoptosis and inhibits cell growth. These data provide preliminary support for adenoviral mediatedp53 tumor suppressor gene therapy of human pancreatic cancer.

Long-term tumor-free survival from treatment with the GFP–TRAIL fusion gene expressed from the hTERT promoter in breast cancer cells

We evaluated anti-tumor activity and toxic effect of an adenoviral vector expressing the GFP/TRAIL fusion gene from the hTERT promoter (designated Ad/gTRAIL) on human breast cancer cell lines and on normal human breast cells. Treatment with Ad/gTRAIL elicited high levels of transgene expression and apoptosis in a variety of breast cancer cell lines. Furthermore, treatment with Ad/gTRAIL was effective in killing breast cancer lines resistant to doxorubicin or soluble TRAIL protein. In contrast, only minimal transgene expression and toxicity was detected in normal human primary mammary epithelial cells after treatment with this vector. An in vivo study further showed that the intralesional administration of Ad/gTRAIL effectively suppressed the growth of human tumor xenografts derived from both doxorubicin-sensitive and doxorubicin-resistant breast cancer lines. Specifically, about 50% of animals bearing doxorubicin-sensitive and doxorubicin-resistant breast cancer xenografts showed complete tumor regression and remained tumor-free for over 5 months. These results suggest that the adenovirus encoding the GFP/TRAIL gene driven by the hTERT promoter has potential application in cancer therapy.

Putative Tumor-Suppressive Function of Krüppel-Like Factor 4 in Primary Lung Carcinoma

Purpose: Krüppel-like factor 4 (KLF4) is a zinc-finger protein that plays important roles in stem cells and the development of gastric cancers. However, the role of KLF4 in primary lung cancer is unknown. The purpose of this study is to determine possible roles of KLF4 in lung cancer. Experimental Design: The KLF4 expression in primary lung cancer tissues and case-matched normal lung tissues were determined by protein and mRNA analyses. The effects of KLF4 on cell proliferation, clonogenic formation, and cell cycle progression were determined in cultured lung cancer cells or bronchial epithelial cells after enforced KLF4 overexpression or small interfering RNA knockdown. The in vivo antitumor activity of KLF4 was evaluated by using stably transfected lung cancer cells and by adenovector-mediated gene delivery. The effect of KLF4 in regulating p21 and cyclin D1 was also evaluated. Results: KLF4 protein and mRNA levels were dramatically decreased in most primary lung tumors compared with in case-matched normal lung tissues. Enforced expression of KLF4 resulted in marked inhibition of cell growth and clonogenic formation. The tumor-suppressive effect of KLF4 was associated with its role in up-regulating p21 and down-regulating cyclin D1, leading to cell cycle arrest at the G1-S checkpoint. Knockdown of KLF4 promoted cell growth in immortalized human bronchial epithelial cells. The enforced expression of KLF4 gene to lung cancer cells by ex vivo transfection or adenovector-mediated gene transfer suppressed tumor growth in vivo. Conclusions: Our results suggest that KLF4 plays an important role in suppressing the growth of lung carcinoma. (Clin Cancer Res 2009;15(18):5688–95)

STAT3 mediates resistance to MEK inhibitor through microRNA miR-17

AZD6244 is a small molecule inhibitor of the MEK (MAP/ERK kinase) pathway currently in clinical trials. However, the mechanisms mediating intrinsic resistance to MEK inhibition are not fully characterized. To define molecular mechanisms of MEK inhibitor resistance, we analyzed responses of 38 lung cancer cell lines following AZD6244 treatment and their genome-wide gene expression profiles and identified a panel of genes correlated with sensitivity or resistance to AZD6244 treatment. In particular, ingenuity pathway analysis revealed that activation of the STAT3 pathway was associated with MEK inhibitor resistance. Inhibition of this pathway by JSI-124, a STAT3-specific small molecule inhibitor, or with STAT3-specific siRNA sensitized lung cancer cells to AZD6244 and induced apoptosis. Moreover, combining a STAT3 inhibitor with AZD6244 induced expression of BIM and PARP cleavage, whereas activation of the STAT3 pathway inhibited BIM expression and elicited resistance to MEK inhibitors. We found that the STAT3-regulated microRNA miR-17 played a critical role in MEK inhibitor resistance, such that miR-17 inhibition sensitized resistant cells to AZD6244 by inducing BIM and PARP cleavage. Together, these results indicated that STAT3-mediated overexpression of miR-17 blocked BIM expression and caused resistance to AZD6244. Our findings suggest novel approaches to overcome resistance to MEK inhibitors by combining AZD6244 with STAT3 or miR-17 inhibitors.

Identification of a Small Molecule with Synthetic Lethality for K-Ras and Protein Kinase C Iota

K-Ras mutations are frequently found in various cancers and are associated with resistance to treatment or poor prognosis. Similarly, poor outcomes have recently been observed in cancer patients with overexpression of protein kinase C iota (PKCiota), an atypical protein kinase C that is activated by oncogenic Ras protein and is required for K-Ras-induced transformation and colonic carcinogenesis in vivo. Thus far, there is no effective agent for treatment of cancers with K-Ras mutations or PKCiota overexpression. By synthetic lethality screening, we identified a small compound (designated oncrasin-1) that effectively kills various human lung cancer cells with K-Ras mutations at low or submicromolar concentrations. The cytotoxic effects correlated with apoptosis induction, as was evidenced by increase of apoptotic cells and activation of caspase-3 and caspase-8 upon the treatment of oncrasin-1 in sensitive cells. Treatment with oncrasin-1 also led to abnormal aggregation of PKCiota in the nucleus of sensitive cells but not in resistant cells. Furthermore, oncrasin-1-induced apoptosis was blocked by siRNA of K-Ras or PKCiota, suggesting that oncrasin-1 is targeted to a novel K-Ras/PKCiota pathway. The in vivo administration of oncrasin-1 suppressed the growth of K-ras mutant human lung tumor xenografts by >70% and prolonged the survival of nude mice bearing these tumors, without causing detectable toxicity. Our results indicate that oncrasin-1 or its active analogues could be a novel class of anticancer agents, which effectively kill K-Ras mutant cancer cells.

Induction of S-phase arrest and p21 overexpression by a small molecule 2[[3-(2,3-dichlorophenoxy)propyl] amino]ethanol in correlation with activation of ERK.

We recently found that a small molecule 2[[3-(2,3-dichlorophenoxy)propyl]amino]ethanol (2,3-DCPE) could induce apoptosis and downregulate Bcl-XL expression in various cancer cells. Here, we found that 2,3-DCPE suppressed the proliferation of Bcl-XL-overexpressing cancer cells without inducing apoptosis. Subsequently, we found that 2,3-DCPE could induce S-phase arrest and upregulate p21 but not p27 at a time- and dose-dependent but p53-dispensable manner in DLD-1 human colon cancer cells. Activation of ERK was also detected after treatment with 2,3-DCPE. Moreover, p21 induction was dramatically attenuated by ERK inhibitors PD98059 and U0126. Induction of p21 and S-phase arrest and corresponding activation of ERK were also observed in ATM-defective cells, suggesting that 2,3-DCPE-induced these events were ATM-dispensable. Furthermore, ERK inhibitors dramatically attenuated 2,3-DCPE-induced S-phase arrest. Together, our data indicate that ERK activation correlated with the 2,3-DCPE-mediated induction of p21 expression and S-phase arrest. This finding may have implication for cancer therapy.

Synergistic Tumor Suppression by Coexpression of FHIT and p53 Coincides with FHIT-Mediated MDM2 Inactivation and p53 Stabilization in Human Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Cells

Aberrations of the tumor suppressor genes FHIT and p53 are frequently associated with a wide range of human cancers, including lung cancer. We studied the combined effects of FHIT and p53 proteins on tumor cell proliferation and apoptosis in human non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) cells in vitro and on tumor growth in animal models by adenoviral vector-mediated cotransfer of wild-type FHIT and p53 genes. We found that the coexpression of FHIT and p53 synergistically inhibited tumor cell proliferation in NSCLC cells in vitro and suppressed the growth of human tumor xenografts in nude mice. Furthermore, we found that this synergistic inhibition of tumor cell growth corresponded with the FHIT-mediated inactivation of MDM2, which thereby blocked the association of MDM2 with p53, thus stabilizing the p53 protein. Our results therefore reveal a novel molecular mechanism consisting of FHIT-mediated tumor suppression and the interaction of FHIT with other cellular components in the pathways regulating p53 activity. These findings show that combination treatment with synergistic tumor-suppressing gene therapy such as Ad-FHIT and Ad-p53 may be an effective therapeutic strategy for NSCLC and other cancers.