Gerald Manorek

Recombinant CPE fused to tumor necrosis factor targets human ovarian cancer cells expressing the claudin-3 and claudin-4 receptors

Using gene expression profiling, others and we have recently found that claudin-3 (CLDN3) and claudin-4 (CLDN4) are two of the most highly and consistently up-regulated genes in ovarian carcinomas. Because these tight junction proteins are the naturally occurring receptors for Clostridium perfringens enterotoxin (CPE), in this study, we used the COOH-terminal 30 amino acids of the CPE (CPE290-319), a fragment that is known to retain full binding affinity but have no cytolytic effect, to target tumor necrosis factor (TNF) to ovarian cancers. We constructed a pET32-based vector that expressed the fusion protein, designated here as CPE290-319-TNF, in which CPE290-319 was fused to TNF at its NH2-terminal end. Western blotting confirmed presence of both CPE290-319 and TNF in the fusion protein. The TNF component in CPE290-319-TNF was 5-fold less potent than free TNF as determined by a standard L-929 TNF bioassay. However, the CPE290-319-TNF was >6.7-fold more cytotoxic than free TNF to 2008 human ovarian cancer cells, which express both CLDN3 and CLDN4 receptors. shRNAi-mediated knockdown of either CLDN3 or CLDN4 expression in 2008 markedly attenuated the cytotoxic effects of CPE290-319-TNF. The fusion construct was efficiently delivered into target cells and located in both cytosol and vesicular compartments as assessed by immunofluorescent staining. We conclude that CPE290-319 effectively targeted TNF to ovarian cancer cells and is an attractive targeting moiety for development of CPE-based toxins for therapy of ovarian carcinomas that overexpress CLDN3 and CLDN4. [Mol Cancer Ther 2009;8(7):1906–15]

Regulation of the Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition by Claudin-3 and Claudin-4

The mechanisms that control intracellular adhesion are central to the process of invasion and metastasis. Claudin-3 (CLDN3) and claudin-4 (CLDN4) are major structural molecules of the tight junctions that link epithelial cells. Our prior work has demonstrated that knockdown of the expression of either CLDN3 or CLDN4 produces marked changes in the phenotype of ovarian carcinoma cells including increases in growth rate in vivo, migration, invasion, metastasis, and drug resistance, similar to those produced by the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT). We postulated that these changes may result from the ability of CLDN3 or CLDN4 to suppress EMT. In this study we found that knockdown of either CLDN3 or CLDN4 increased cell size and resulted in flattened morphology. While knockdown of CLDN3 or CLDN4 did not alter the expression of vimentin, it significantly down-regulated the level of E-cadherin and up-regulated N-cadherin expression. Conversely, over-expression of CLDN3 or CLDN4 in a cell line that does not express endogenous CLDN3 or CLDN4 decreased N-cadherin expression. Re-expression of E-cadherin in the CLDN3 or CLDN4 knockdown cells reduced migration, invasion and tumor growth in vivo. Loss of either CLDN3 or CLDN4 resulted in activation of the PI3K pathway as evidenced by increased Akt phosphorylation, elevated cellular PIP3 content and PI3K activity as well as up-regulation of the mRNA and protein levels of the transcription factor Twist. Taken together, these findings suggest that CLDN3 and CLDN4 function to sustain an epithelial phenotype and that their loss promotes EMT.

Claudin-3 and Claudin-4 Regulate Sensitivity to Cisplatin by Controlling Expression of the Copper and Cisplatin Influx Transporter CTR1

Claudin-3 (CLDN3) and claudin-4 (CLDN4) are the major structural molecules that form tight junctions (TJs) between epithelial cells. We found that knockdown of the expression of either CLDN3 or CLDN4 produced marked changes in the phenotype of ovarian cancer cells, including an increase in resistance to cisplatin (cDDP). The effect of CLND3 and CLDN4 on cDDP cytotoxicity, cDDP cellular accumulation, and DNA adduct formation was compared in the CLDN3- and CLDN4-expressing parental human ovarian carcinoma 2008 cells and CLDN3 and CLDN4 knockdown sublines (CLDN3KD and CLDN4KD, respectively). Knockdown of CLDN3 or CLDN4 rendered human ovarian carcinoma 2008 cells resistant to cDDP in both in vitro culture and in vivo xenograft model. The net accumulation of platinum (Pt) and the Pt-DNA adduct levels were reduced in CLDN3KD and CLDN4KD cells. The endogenous mRNA levels of copper influx transporter CTR1 were found to be significantly reduced in the knockdown cells, and exogenous expression of CTR1 restored their sensitivity to cDDP. Reexpression of an shRNAi-resistant CLDN3 or CLDN4 up-regulated CTR1 levels, reversed the cDDP resistance, and enhanced TJ formation in the knockdown cells. Baseline copper (Cu) level, Cu uptake, and Cu cytotoxicity were also reduced in CLDN3KD and CLDN4KD cells. Cu-dependent tyrosinase activity was also markedly reduced in both types of CLDN knockdown cells when incubated with the substrate l-DOPA. These results indicate that CLDN3 and CLDN4 affect sensitivity of the ovarian cancer cells to the cytotoxic effect of cDDP by regulating expression of the Cu transporter CTR1.

Challenges associated with the targeted delivery of gelonin to claudin-expressing cancer cells with the use of activatable cell penetrating peptides to enhance potency

BackgroundTreatment of tumors with macromolecular toxins directed to cytoplasmic targets requires selective endocytosis followed by release of intact toxin from the endosomal/lysosomal compartment. The latter step remains a particular challenge. Claudins 3 and 4 are tight junction proteins that are over-expressed in many types of tumors. This study utilized the C-terminal 30 amino acid fragment of C. perfringens enterotoxin (CPE), which binds to claudins 3 and 4, to deliver a toxin in the form of recombinant gelonin (rGel) to the cytoplasm of the human ovarian carcinoma cell line 2008.ResultsCPE was fused to rGel at its N-terminal end via a flexible G4S linker. This CPE-G4S-rGel molecule was internalized into vesicles from which location it produced little cytotoxicity. To enhance release from the endosomal/lysosomal compartment a poly-arginine sequence (R9) was introduced between the CPE and the rGel. CPE-R9-rGel was 10-fold more cytotoxic but selectivity for claudin-expressing cells was lost. The addition of a poly-glutamic acid sequence (E9) through a G4S linker to R9-rGel (E9-G4S-R9-rGel) largely neutralized the non-selective cell membrane penetrating activity of the R9 motif. However, introduction of CPE to the E9-G4S-R9-rGel fusion protein (CPE-E9-G4S-R9-rGel) further reduced its cytotoxic effect. Treatment with the endosomolytic reagent chloroquine increased the cytotoxicity of CPE-E9-G4S-R9-rGel. Several types of linkers susceptible to cleavage by furin and endosomal cathepsin B were tested for their ability to enhance R9-rGel release but none of these modifications further enhanced the cytotoxicity of CPE-E9-G4S-R9-rGel.ConclusionWe conclude that while a claudin-3 and -4 ligand serves to deliver rGel into 2008 cells the delivered molecules were entrapped in intracellular vesicles. Incorporation of R9 non-specifically increased rGel cytotoxicity and this effect could be masked by inclusion of an E9 sequence. However, the putative protease cleavable sequences tested were inadequate for release of R9-rGel from CPE-E9-G4S-R9-rGel.

Novel mechanisms of platinum drug resistance identified in cells selected for resistance to JM118 the active metabolite of satraplatin

PurposeThe goal of this study was to identify molecular determinants of sensitivity and resistance to JM118, the active metabolite of satraplatin, an orally bioavailable cisplatin analog that has activity in prostate cancer.Experimental designHuman ovarian carcinoma 2008/JM118 cells were derived from parental 2008 cells by repeated exposure to JM118; the revertant 2008/JM118/REV subline was isolated from the 2008/JM118 cells by growth in the absence of drug. Drug sensitivity was determined by clonogenic assay and Pt levels were measured by ICP-MS.ResultsEight sequential rounds of selection yielded the 2008/JM118 subline that was 4.9-fold resistant to JM118 and cross-resistant at varying levels to satraplatin, cisplatin, carboplatin, and oxaliplatin. Cross-resistance to the other Pt drugs was lost as resistance to JM118 waned. The same parental 2008 cells selected for resistance to cisplatin were partially cross-resistant to JM118. The 2008/JM118 cells accumulated significantly more Pt than the 2008 cells when exposed to low concentrations of either JM118 or cisplatin indicating a detoxification process that involves intracellular sequestration. In contrast, 2008 cells selected for cisplatin resistance accumulated less cisplatin and less JM118 reflecting a mechanism involving reduced accumulation. The 2008 and 2008/JM118 cells did not differ in their uptake or efflux of 64Cu, expression of Cu efflux transporters ATP7A or ATP7B or their glutathione content. The 2008/JM118 cells exhibited 3.0–7.7-fold hypersensitivity to docetaxel, paclitaxel and doxorubicin. Expression profiling identified 4 genes that were significantly up-regulated and 19 that were down-regulated in the 2008/JM118 cells at a false discovery rate of 1 gene.ConclusionsWhile the cellular defense mechanisms that protect cells against JM118 also mediate resistance to the other Pt drugs, these mechanisms are quite different from those commonly found in cells selected for resistance to cisplatin. JM118-resistant cells accumulate more rather than less Pt and rely on an intracellular detoxification mechanism different from that involved in cisplatin resistance. This is consistent with clinical evidence suggesting that satraplatin has activity in diseases in which cisplatin does not. In this model, JM118 resistance is associated with substantial collateral hypersensitivity to docetaxel, paclitaxel, and doxorubicin.

Sec61β Controls Sensitivity to Platinum-Containing Chemotherapeutic Agents through Modulation of the Copper-Transporting ATPase ATP7A

The Sec61 protein translocon is a multimeric complex that transports proteins across lipid bilayers. We discovered that the Sec61β subunit modulates cellular sensitivity to chemotherapeutic agents, particularly the platinum drugs. To investigate the mechanism, expression of Sec61β was constitutively knocked down in 2008 ovarian cancer cells. Sec61β knockdown (KD) resulted in 8-, 16.8-, and 9-fold resistance to cisplatin (cDDP), carboplatin, and oxaliplatin, respectively. Sec61β KD reduced the cellular accumulation of cDDP to 67% of that in parental cells. Baseline copper levels, copper uptake, and copper cytotoxicity were also reduced. Because copper transporters and chaperones regulate platinum drug accumulation and efflux, their expression in 2008 Sec61β-KD cells was analyzed; ATP7A was found to be 2- to 3-fold overexpressed, whereas there was no change in ATP7B, ATOX1, CTR1, or CTR2 levels. Cells lacking ATP7A did not exhibit increased cDDP resistance upon knockdown of Sec61β. Sec61β-KD cells also exhibited altered ATP7A cellular distribution. We conclude that Sec61β modulates the cytotoxicity of many chemotherapeutic agents, with the largest effect being on the platinum drugs. This modulation occurs through effects of Sec61β on the expression and distribution of ATP7A, which was shown previously to control platinum drug sequestration and cytotoxicity.

Targeting granzyme B to tumor cells using a yoked human chorionic gonadotropin

PurposeLuteinizing hormone receptor (LHR) is found in abundance on human ovarian, breast, endometrial and prostate carcinomas but at only low levels on non-gonadal tissues. To selectively kill LHR-expressing tumors, granzyme B (GrB) was linked to a protein in which both chains of human chorionic gonadotropin were yoked together (YCG).MethodsGrB-YCG was expressed and secreted from insect Sf9 cells. Its GrB enzymatic activity and binding affinity for hLHR were then characterized. The differential cytotoxicity of GrB-YCG versus GrB alone was tested in a panel of LHR-expressing tumor cells by SRB assay, and the mechanisms involved in the cell death were investigated by confocal fluorescence microscopy, flow cytometry, and western blot analysis.ResultsGrB-YCG was successfully expressed and secreted from Sf9 insect cells and purified from cell culture supernatants. The serine protease activity of GrB-YCG was equivalent to that of human recombinant GrB. An in vitro hormone binding assay revealed that the GrB-YCG molecule also retained the ability to bind to the LHR receptor with an affinity similar to that of native hCG. Upon cell binding, GrB-YCG was rapidly internalized into LHR-expressing human ovarian cancer cells and produced selective and potent tumor cell killing by inducing apoptosis through activation of caspase-3.ConclusionsThese results validate LHR as a therapeutic target and indicate that delivery of the human pro-apoptotic enzyme GrB to tumor cells by yoked hCG has substantial selectivity and therapeutic potential for human tumors that express high levels of LHR such as ovarian carcinomas.

The role of metal binding and phosphorylation domains in the regulation of cisplatin-induced trafficking of ATP7B

The copper (Cu) exporter ATP7B mediates cellular resistance to cisplatin (cDDP) by increasing drug efflux. ATP7B binds and sequesters cDDP in into secretory vesicles. Upon cDDP exposure ATP7B traffics from the trans-Golgi network (TGN) to the periphery of the cell in a manner that requires the cysteine residues in its metal binding domains (MBD). To elucidate the role of the various domains of ATP7B in its cDDP-induced trafficking we expressed a series of mCherry-tagged variants of ATP7B in HEK293T cells and analyzed their subcellular localization in basal media and after a 1 h exposure to 30 μM cDDP. The wild type ATP7B and a variant in which the cysteines in the CXXC motifs of MBD 1-5 were converted to serines trafficked out of the trans-Golgi (TGN) when exposed to cDDP. Conversion of the cysteines in all 6 of the CXXC motifs to serines, or in only the sixth MBD, rendered ATP7B incapable of trafficking on exposure to cDDP. Truncation of MBD1-5 or MBD1-6 resulted in the loss of TGN localization. Addition of the first 63 amino acids of ATP7B to these variants restored TGN localization to a great extent and enabled the MBD1-5 variant to undergo cDDP-induced trafficking. A variant of ATP7B in which the aspartate 1027 residue in the phosphorylation domain was converted to glutamine localized to the TGN but was incapable of cDDP-induced trafficking. These results demonstrate that the CXXC motif in the sixth MBD and the catalytic activity of ATP7B are required for cDDP-induced trafficking as they are for Cu-induced redistribution of ATP7B; this provides further evidence that cDDP mimics Cu with respect to the molecular mechanisms by they control the subcellular distribution of ATP7B.

Abstract 211: Control of integrin expression and signaling by claudin-3 and claudin-4 in ovarian cancer.

Changes in cell-cell and cell-matrix adhesion are central to ovarian cancer metastasis. We have previously demonstrated that the two major tight junction proteins claudin-3 (CLDN3) and claudin-4 (CLDN4) function to restrain in vivo growth and metastatic potential of ovarian cancer cells by sustaining expression of E-cadherin and limiting β-catenin signaling. Here we report that CLDN3 and CLDN4 control integrin αvβ3 expression and signaling through which they regulate cell-matrix adhesion and anchorage-dependent growth. Knockdown of CLDN3 or CLDN4 in human ovarian carcinoma cells reduced their ability to adhere to fibronectin whereas increased expression of CLDN3 or CLDN4 enhanced adherence to the extracellular matrix protein. A flow cytometric analysis revealed that CLDN3 and CLDN4 knockdown reduced αvβ3 complex formation at the cell surface by a factor of 1.7- and 12.4-fold, respectively, relative to the parental 2008 cells. Deconvoluting microscopic analysis of immunocytochemically stained cells confirmed the reduction in αvβ3 expression in the CLDN3KD and CLDN4KD cells. Measurement of β3 mRNA levels by qRT-PCR demonstrated a 55 ± 11.0% reduction in the CLDN3KD cells and a 51 ± 13.7% decrease in the CLDN4KD cells while the αv mRNA level was not affected. Interestingly, ablation of αvβ3 increased CLDN3 and CLDN4 expression at both the mRNA and protein level. Anchorage-independent growth was markedly reduced in both CLDN3KD and CLDN4KD cells with respect to the number and the size distribution of the colonies that formed in soft agar. Moreover, loss of either CLDN3 or CLDN4 resulted in activation of focal adhesion kinase (FAK) as the phosphorylation of Tyr-397 residue within FAK, which reflects FAK activity, was significantly increased in the CLDN3 and CLDN4 knockdown cells. Taken together, these results indicate a novel role for CLDN3 and CLDN4 in regulating integrin αvβ3 expression and signaling that control cell-matrix adhesion and aggressiveness of the ovarian carcinoma cells. Citation Format: Xinjian Lin, Xiying Shang, Gerald Manorek, Stephen Howell. Control of integrin expression and signaling by claudin-3 and claudin-4 in ovarian cancer. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 104th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2013 Apr 6-10; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2013;73(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 211. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2013-211 Note: This abstract was not presented at the AACR Annual Meeting 2013 because the presenter was unable to attend.

Abstract 1495: Regulation of the epithelial-mesenchymal transition by claudin-3 and claudin-4.

Proceedings: AACR 104th Annual Meeting 2013; Apr 6-10, 2013; Washington, DC The mechanisms that control intracellular adhesion are central to the process of invasion and metastasis. Claudin-3 (CLDN3) and claudin-4 (CLDN4) are major structural molecules of the tight junctions that link epithelial cells. Our prior work has demonstrated that knockdown of the expression of either CLDN3 or CLDN4 produces marked changes in the phenotype of ovarian carcinoma cells including increases in growth rate in vivo, migration, invasion, metastasis and drug resistance, similar to those produced by the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT). We postulated that these changes may result from the ability of CLDN3 or CLDN4 to suppress EMT. In this study we found that knockdown of either CLDN3 or CLDN4 increased cell size and resulted in elongated, fibroblastic morphology. While knockdown of CLDN3 or CLDN4 did not alter the expression of vimentin, it significantly down-regulated the level of E-cadherin and up-regulated N-cadherin expression. Conversely, over-expression of CLDN3 or CLDN4 in a cell line that does not express endogenous CLDN3 or CLDN4 decreased N-cadherin expression. Re-expression of E-cadherin in the CLDN3 or CLDN4 knockdown cells reduced migration, invasion and tumor growth in vivo. Loss of either CLDN3 or CLDN4 resulted in activation of the PI3K pathway as evidenced by increased Akt phosphorylation, and up-regulation of the mRNA and protein levels of the transcription factor Twist. Taken together, these findings suggest that CLDN3 and CLDN4 function in the ovarian cancer cells to sustain an epithelial phenotype and that their loss promotes EMT. Citation Format: Xiying Shang, Xinjian Lin, Gerald Manorek, Stephen Howell. Regulation of the epithelial-mesenchymal transition by claudin-3 and claudin-4. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 104th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2013 Apr 6-10; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2013;73(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 1495. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2013-1495 Note: This abstract was not presented at the AACR Annual Meeting 2013 because the presenter was unable to attend.