François Hirsch

Lonidamine triggers apoptosis via a direct, Bcl-2-inhibited effect on the mitochondrial permeability transition pore.

The molecular mode of action of lonidamine, a therapeutic agent employed in cancer chemotherapy, has been elusive. Here we provide evidence that lonidamine (LND) acts on mitochondria to induce apoptosis. LND provokes a disruption of the mitochondrial transmembrane potential which precedes signs of nuclear apoptosis and cytolysis. The mitochondrial and cytocidal effects of LND are not prevented by inhibitors of caspases or of mRNA or protein synthesis. However, they are prevented by transfection-enforced overexpression of Bcl-2, an oncoprotein which inhibits apoptosis by stabilizing the mitochondrial membrane barrier function. Accordingly, the cell death-inducing effect of LND is amplified by simultaneous addition of PK11195, an isoquinoline ligand of the peripheral benzodiazepine receptor which antagonizes the cytoprotective effect of Bcl-2. When added to isolated nuclei, LND fails to provoke DNA degradation unless mitochondria are added simultaneously. In isolated mitochondria, LND causes the dissipation of the mitochondrial inner transmembrane potential and the release of apoptogenic factors capable of inducing nuclear apoptosis in vitro. Thus the mitochondrion is the subcellular target of LND. All effects of LND on isolated mitochondria are counteracted by cyclosporin A, an inhibitor of the mitochondrial PT pore. We therefore tested the effect of LND on the purified PT pore reconstituted into liposomes. LND permeabilizes liposomal membranes containing the PT pore. This effect is prevented by addition of recombinant Bcl-2 protein but not by a mutant Bcl-2 protein that has lost its apoptosis-inhibitory function. Altogether these data indicate that LND represents a novel type of anti-cancer agent which induces apoptosis via a direct effect on the mitochondrial PT pore.

Soluble HLA-G Inhibits Cell Cycle Progression in Human Alloreactive T Lymphocytes

HLA-G is involved in regulating T cell responses. Various mechanisms have been proposed to explain the inhibition of T cell proliferation. In this context, the possible role of HLA-G in cell cycle regulation remains to be explored. Using stably transfected M8 cells expressing the secreted isoform (HLA-G5) of HLA-G, we investigated the role of HLA-G in inducing apoptosis and in controlling the cell cycle of activated T cells. Soluble HLA-G (HLA-G5) inhibited both CD4 and CD8 T cell proliferation. However, HLA-G5 did not induce T cell apoptosis, as determined by 3,3′-diethyloxacarbocyanine and propidium iodine labeling. It induced accumulation of the retinoblastoma protein, but not its phosphorylated and active form. Treatment of activated T cells with HLA-G5 also reduced the amounts of cyclin D2, E, A, and B by >80%. In contrast, it induced an accumulation of p27kip, but not p21cip, in activated T cells. HLA-G does not induce apoptosis of alloreactive T cells, but induces p27kip1 and inhibits cell cycle progression.

Chemosensitization by erythropoietin through inhibition of the NF-kappaB rescue pathway

Two cell lines that exemplify erythropoietin (EPO) receptor-positive tumors, human renal carcinoma cell lines RCC and the myelomonocytic leukemia cell line U937, were investigated for the apoptosis-modulatory potential of EPO. Cells cultured in the presence of EPO exhibited an elevated apoptotic response to cancer chemotherapeutic agents such as daunorubicin (Dauno) and vinblastine (VBL). Chemosensitization by EPO did not involve an increase in p53 activation, yet correlated with enhanced Bax/Bak-dependent mitochondrial membrane perturbation and caspase maturation. In vitro monotherapy with Dauno or VBL induced the degradation of IκBα, provoked the translocation of NF-κB p65/50 to the nucleus and stimulated the expression of an NF-κB-activatable reporter gene. All these signs of NF-κB activation were perturbed in the presence of EPO. Inhibition of JAK2, one of the receptor-proximal elements of EPO-mediated signal transduction, greatly diminished the EPO-mediated chemosensitization and NF-κB inhibition. EPO lost its death-facilitating effects in the presence of an NF-κB inhibitor, underscoring the cause–effect relationship between EPO-mediated chemosensitization and NF-κB inhibition. Altogether, these results suggest that, at least in a specific subset of tumors, EPO receptor agonists can prevent activation of the NF-κB pathway, thereby enhancing the propensity of EPO receptor-positive tumor cells to undergo apoptosis.

Polyclonal IgE increase after HgCl2 injections in BN and LEW rats: a genetic analysis.

An autoimmune disease and a dramatic increase in total serum IgE concentration are observed in BN rats that are chronically injected with HgCl2. In contrast, LEW rats do not develop the characteristic glomerulonephritis and are very “low IgE responders”. In this study, we examined the genetic control of total serum IgE increase after HgCl2 injection in F1 and F2 hybrids, in both backcrosses between LEW and BN rats, and in LEW.1N congenic rats. Genetic analysis was performed using peak IgE concentrations expressed as log μg/ml. A high IgE phenotype was found to be dominant. Eighty-five percent of F2 variance was due to genetic factors (VG) while only 15% of this variance was caused by environmental factors (VE). From observations in F2 hybrids and backcrosses, estimations of additive variance (VA) and dominance variance (VD) were made following three different methods. Genetic control by about four loci is demonstrated. One of these genes is RT1-linked. This gene contributes to 25% of the phenotypic difference observed between BN and LEW rats. No correlation was found between the peak total IgE level and autoimmune disease based on IgG deposition in spleen and/or kidney.

Differential involvement of Th1 and Th2 cytokines in autoimmune diseases.

By virtue of their functional antagonism, Th1 cells or cells producing the same cytokines as Th1 cells may behave as suppressor cells" with respect to Th2 cells and vice versa. An excessive Th1- or Th2-like response may favor the development of different autoimmune diseases. As can be expected from their physiological role, Th-1 cytokines participate in autoimmune diseases with a preferential delayed type hypersensitivity component, i.e. in those diseases in which cytotoxic T cells attack organ-specific target cells. Autoimmune diseases with a predominant Th1 component include experimental autoimmune encephalitis and insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. In contrast, Th2-type responses participate in systemic autoimmune diseases with a strong humoral component. Such diseases probably include certain drug-induced states of autoaggression, namely mercury-induced autoimmune disease and chlorpromazine-induced autoimmunity. It is tempting to speculate that therapeutic interventions designed to recover a normal Th1/Th2 balance will provide a useful etiological strategy for the re-establishment of self-tolerance.

Growth hormone prevents human monocytic cells from Fas-mediated apoptosis by up-regulating Bcl-2 expression

Apoptosis and particularly Fas‐mediated apoptosis has been proposed to play a key role in controlling monocyte homeostasis. We and others have documented the regulatory function of human growth hormone (hGH) on monocytic cells, which prompted us to investigate the role of hGH on their response to Fas antigen cross‐linking. Using human promonocytic U937 cells constitutively producing hGH upon gene transfer and human primary monocytes cultured in the presence of recombinant hGH, we demonstrated that hGH diminished Fas‐mediated cell death by enhancing the expression of the antiapoptotic oncoprotein Bcl‐2 as well as the level of bcl‐2α mRNA. In parallel, we established that overexpression of Bcl‐2 through gene transfer into normal U937 cells also diminished Fas‐induced apoptosis. Further, as a result of Bcl‐2 overexpression, we found that hGH greatly depressed Fas‐induced activation of the cysteine protease caspase‐3 (CPP32), which in turn affected the cleavage of poly(ADP‐ribose) polymerase. Altogether, these data provide evidence that hGH mediates its protective effect through a Bcl‐2‐dependent pathway, clearly a crucial step in enhanced survival of monocytic cells exposed to Fas‐induced death.

Antibody-mediated endocytosis of G250 tumor-associated antigen allows targeted gene transfer to human renal cell carcinoma in vitro.

Specific gene transfer into targeted tumor cells remains a critical issue for the development of systemic gene therapy protocols. With this end in view, we have tested the possibility of selectively directing genes to tumor cells through the recognition of tumor-associated antigens (TAA). This was approached in vitro on four human renal cell carcinoma (RCC) lines by means of the highly specific mouse G250 monoclonal antibody (mAb) chemically conjugated to a plasmid DNA conveying a reporter activity. This mAb directed to a TAA that is present on 95% of primary RCCs and on 60% of metastatic human RCCs was extensively characterized, including during clinical trials. Epifluorescence microscopy analysis indicated that upon specific binding to G250 TAA, G250 mAb alone or conjugated to plasmid DNA was internalized by an active endocytic process and colocalized with the transferrin concentrated in the late recycling perinuclear compartment. We also observed that both unconjugated G250 mAb or G250 mAb conjugated to plasmid DNA remained in the perinuclear region of the cells for ≥20 hours and were not rapidly translocated to lysosomes or recycled to the plasma membrane. In contrast, unconjugated plasmid DNA was not internalized. After transfection of G250 TAA-positive RCC lines with G250 mAb conjugated to a plasmid cDNA encoding mouse interleukin-2, a significant and sustained production of mouse interleukin-2 protein was detected from days 5–15 and was abrogated by inhibiting the internalization process. Altogether, our data showed that endocytosis of G250 TAA should be the basis of gene transfer to RCC, suggesting that targeting of TAA capable of internalization may be the basis of new approaches for designing alternative cancer gene therapy procedures.

Experimental Mercury-Induced Glomerulonephritis

It has been known for a long time that exposition to a number of toxins is associated with the occurrence of autoimmunity. Three mechanisms have been proposed or demonstrated to be responsible for such abnormalities [2]. Drugs may act as haptens, inducing an immune response directed to the hapten itself bound to self-constituents; alternatively hapten-modified autoantigens may trigger a true autoimmune response. A third possibility is that the environmental agent dysregulates the immune system. In the latter situation, more generalized autoimmune abnormalities are expected to occur. Immunologically mediated nephritis, either glomerular or interstitial is frequently associated with drug or toxin exposure in humans [13]. However, the mechanisms involved have been elucidated in only very few cases. Several experimental models of drug-induced, immunologically mediated, nephritis have been developed confirming the role of drugs in the human situation [13]. However, again, the mechanism of drug action has not been studied. We have been able to induce with HgC12 a membranous glomerulonephritis in outbred Wistar rats [3] and have extended these studies in several inbred strains of rats [9]. This allowed us to show that susceptibility was highly dependent upon the strain tested and to study in depth both the mechanisms of induction in the most susceptible, Brown-Norway (BN) rats, and the mechanisms of resistance in Lewis (LEW) rats. In this review we will describe our findings in the various strains of rats we have tested, as welt as the findings of other groups in the rat and in other species.

IFN‐γ induces apoptosis in mouse embryonic stem cells, a putative mechanism of its embryotoxicity

It has been reported that interferon (IFN)‐γ should inhibit in vitro mouse embryo growth by direct cell toxicity. However, the mechanism involved has not been clearly established. In the present study, this question was addressed using the embryonic stem (ES) cell model. It was found that IFN‐γ induces a dose‐dependent apoptosis in ES cells, as assessed by trypan‐blue staining, by Annexin‐V labeling and DNA analysis. Moreover, IFN‐γ treatment cooperates with Fas‐mediated apoptosis, a phenomenon that has been recently reported. As Bcl‐2 oncoprotein functions as a death repressor molecule in an evolutionarily conserved cell death pathway, its expression was analyzed by flow cytometry. It was demonstrated that Bcl‐2 is expressed in ES cells. When compared to untreated ES cells, IFN‐γ‐treated, apoptotic cells expressed a lower Bcl‐2 level and a normal level of Fas, whereas surviving cells expressed a normal level of Bcl‐2 but a lower Fas expression. Altogether, these data suggest that IFN‐γ may influence early mouse embryo development by promoting apoptosis, which may constitute a novel mechanism of IFN‐γ embryotoxicity.

In vivo-targeted gene delivery using antibody-based nonviral vector.

Tissue-specific gene transfer remains one of the main challenges to deliver genes into designated and/or disseminated cells. We have previously shown successful gene transfer with a nonviral gene delivery system based on the simple chemical conjugation of plasmid DNA with antibody. However, this approach was hampered by low efficiency due to the poor translocation rate of DNA to the nucleus. To improve this approach, we have modified our vector by introducing noncovalent binding between the antibody and DNA, allowing the possibility to introduce different important molecules. The noncovalent association was achieved with neutravidin and biotinylated components: (1) biotinylated antibodies; (2) a biotinylated hemagglutinin fusogenic peptide of influenza virus to favor endosomal escape; and (3) biotinylated histone H1 to compact, protect, and associate DNA to the complex. We report here that this delivery system can be internalized by tumor cells targeted by a specific monoclonal antibody, permits the protection of the transfected DNA, and allows its subsequent transfer into the nucleus after escape from the endosomal compartment. We also demonstrate that, in vitro, gene transfer with this vector showed much higher reporter activity in cells (15 vs. 0.5%) and a stronger production of murine interleukin 2 as compared with our previous vector. In vivo, a single intravenous injection of the vector containing an antibody directed to the G250 renal cell carcinoma-associated antigen led to beta-galactosidase expression in engrafted tumor bearing G250 but not in G250-negative tumor or in other tissues. Altogether, these results indicate that our antibody-based vector is suitable to promote gene delivery in vitro and in vivo in tumor cells.