Hirotaka Kanzaki

Identification of direct targets for the miR-17-92 cluster by proteomic analysis

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non‐coding RNAs that post‐transcriptionally repress the expression of target genes. Many miRNAs have been implicated in a number of diseases, including cancers. The miR‐17‐92 miRNA cluster is known as a body of oncogenic miRNAs, and has been shown to be overexpressed in several cancers, including lung cancer. Although the overexpression of miR‐17‐92 is clearly implicated in the development of lung cancer, only a few direct targets for the miR‐17‐92 cluster have been identified thus far. In this study, we examined miR‐17‐92 target profiles in SBC‐3 small‐cell lung cancer cells using a quantitative proteomic strategy to identify direct targets of the miR‐17‐92 cluster. By knocking down the expression of endogenous miR‐19a, miR‐20a and miR‐92‐1, which are contained in the cluster, 112 up‐regulated proteins were detected and also identified as potential targets of these miRNAs. Among these candidate targets, we validated one direct target, RAB14. In conclusion, these findings suggest that proteomic approaches are valuable for identifying direct miRNA targets, and we were able to identify a novel direct target for the miR‐92‐1 using our proteomic strategy.

Mitochondrial NDUFS3 regulates the ROS-mediated onset of metabolic switch in transformed cells.

Summary Aerobic glycolysis in transformed cells is an unique metabolic phenotype characterized by a hyperactivated glycolytic pathway even in the presence of oxygen. It is not clear if the onset of aerobic glycolysis is regulated by mitochondrial dysfunction and, if so, what the metabolic windows of opportunity available to control this metabolic switch (mitochondrial to glycolytic) landscape are in transformed cells. Here we report a genetically-defined model system based on the gene-silencing of a mitochondrial complex I subunit, NDUFS3, where we demonstrate the onset of metabolic switch in isogenic human embryonic kidney cells by differential expression of NDUFS3. By means of extensive metabolic characterization, we demonstrate that NDUFS3 gene silencing systematically introduces mitochondrial dysfunction thereby leading to the onset of aerobic glycolysis in a manner dependent on NDUFS3 protein levels. Furthermore, we show that the sustained imbalance in free radical dynamics is a necessary condition to sustain the observed metabolic switch in cell lines with the most severe NDUFS3 suppression. Together, our data reveal a novel role for mitochondrial complex I subunit NDUFS3 in regulating the degree of mitochondrial dysfunction in living cells, thereby setting a “metabolic threshold” for the observation of aerobic glycolysis phenotype within the confines of mitochondrial dysfunction.

Novel direct targets of miR-19a identified in breast cancer cells by a quantitative proteomic approach.

The miR-17–92 cluster encodes 7 miRNAs inside a single polycistronic transcript, and is known as a group of oncogenic miRNAs that contribute to tumorigenesis in several cancers. However, their direct targets remain unclear, and it has been suggested that a single miRNA is capable of reducing the production of hundreds of proteins. The majority of reports on the identification of miRNA targets are based on computational approaches or the detection of altered mRNA levels, despite the fact that most miRNAs are thought to regulate their targets primarily by translational inhibition in higher organisms. In this study, we examined the target profiles of miR-19a, miR-20a and miR-92-1 in MCF-7 breast cancer cells by a quantitative proteomic strategy to identify their direct targets. A total of 123 proteins were significantly increased after the endogenous miR-19a, miR-20a and miR-92-1 were knocked down, and were identified as potential targets by two-dimensional electrophoresis and a mass spectrometric analysis. Among the upregulated proteins, four (PPP2R2A, ARHGAP1, IMPDH1 and NPEPL1) were shown to have miR-19a or miR-20a binding sites on their mRNAs. The luciferase activity of the plasmids with each binding site was observed to decrease, and an increased luciferase activity was observed in the presence of the specific anti-miRNA-LNA. A Western blot analysis showed the expression levels of IMPDH1 and NPEPL1 to increase after treatment with anti-miR-19a, while the expression levels of PPP2R2A and ARHGAP1 did not change. The expression levels of IMPDH1 and NPEPL1 did not significantly change by anti-miR-19a-LNA at the mRNA level. These results suggest that the IMPDH1 and NPEPL1 genes are direct targets of miR-19a in breast cancer, while the exogenous expression of these genes is not associated with the growth suppression of MCF-7 cells. Furthermore, our proteomic approaches were shown to be valuable for identifying direct miRNA targets.

Doxorubicin and cyclophosphamide treatment produces anxiety-like behavior and spatial cognition impairment in rats: Possible involvement of hippocampal neurogenesis via brain-derived neurotrophic factor and cyclin D1 regulation

Many patients who have received chemotherapy to treat cancer experience depressive- and anxiety-like symptoms or cognitive impairment. However, despite the evidence for this, the underlying mechanisms are still not understood. This study investigated behavioral and biochemical changes upon treatment with doxorubicin and cyclophosphamide, focusing on mental and cognitive systems, as well as neurogenesis in male rats. Doxorubicin (2 mg/kg), cyclophosphamide (50 mg/kg), and the combination of doxorubicin and cyclophosphamide were injected intraperitoneally once per week for 4 weeks. In particular, the co-administration of doxorubicin and cyclophosphamide produced anhedonia-like, anxiety-like, and spatial cognitive impairments in rats. It also reduced both the number of proliferating cells in the subgranular zone of the hippocampal dentate gyrus and their survival. Serum brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) levels were decreased along with chemotherapy-induced decreases in platelet levels. However, hippocampal BDNF levels and Bdnf mRNA levels were not decreased by this treatment. On the other hand, hippocampal cyclin D1 levels were significantly decreased by chemotherapy. These results suggest that the co-administration of doxorubicin and cyclophosphamide induces psychological and cognitive impairment, in addition to negatively affecting hippocampal neurogenesis, which may be related to hippocampal cyclin D1 levels, but not hippocampal BDNF levels.

Decoy strategy targeting the brain-derived neurotrophic factor exon I to attenuate tactile allodynia in the neuropathic pain model of rats.

The mechanism underlying neuropathic pain is still largely unclear. Recently, much attention has been focused on the role of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) as a neuromodulator in the spinal cord. We previously reported that the expression of Bdnf exon I mRNA was remarkably up-regulated in the dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons with the rat L5 spinal nerve ligation (SNL) model. In the present study, we investigated whether neuropathic pain response would be reduced by the inhibition of the Bdnf exon I in the rat SNL model. We identified the promoter region of exon I and synthesized the decoy ODNs targeting the region. Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction analysis confirmed that the decoy ODN treatment reduced SNL-induced Bdnf exon I mRNA up-regulation in ipsilateral L4 and L5 DRGs. Furthermore, post-treatment with the decoy ODNs significantly attenuated SNL-induced tactile allodynia. This study suggested that decoy ODNs targeting the Bdnf exon I might provide a novel analgesic strategy for the treatment of neuropathic pain.

Proteomics-based analysis of invasion-related proteins in malignant gliomas

One of the insidious biological features of gliomas is their potential to extensively invade normal brain tissue, yet molecular mechanisms that dictate this locally invasive behavior remain poorly understood. To investigate the molecular basis of invasion by malignant gliomas, proteomic analysis was performed using a pair of canine glioma subclones – J3T‐1 and J3T‐2 – that show different invasion phenotypes in rat brains but have similar genetic backgrounds. Two‐dimensional protein electrophoresis of whole‐cell lysates of J3T‐1 (angiogenesis‐dependent invasion phenotype) and J3T‐2 (angiogenesis‐independent invasion phenotype) was performed. Twenty‐two distinct spots were recognized when significant alteration was defined as more than 1.5‐fold change in spot intensity between J3T‐1 and J3T‐2. Four proteins that demonstrated increased expression in J3T‐1, and 14 proteins that demonstrated increased expression in J3T‐2 were identified using liquid chromatography‐mass spectrometry analysis. One of the proteins identified was annexin A2, which was expressed at higher levels in J3T‐1 than in J3T‐2. The higher expression of annexin A2 in J3T‐1 was corroborated by quantitative RT‐PCR of the cultured cells and immunohistochemical staining of the rat brain tumors. Moreover, immunohistochemical analysis of human glioblastoma specimens showed that annexin A2 was expressed at high levels in the tumor cells that formed clusters around dilated vessels. These results reveal differences in the proteomic profiles between these two cell lines that might correlate with their different invasion profiles. Thus, annexin A2 may be related to angiogenesis‐dependent invasion.

Expression changes of the neuregulin 1 isoforms in neuropathic pain model rats.

The neuregulin1 (Nrg1) gene that is expressed in the dorsal root ganglion (DRG) contains an EGF-like domain, which is known to be a direct ligand for ErbB3 and ErbB4. Multiple splice variants of the Nrg1 gene are broadly classified into 3 groups by structural features (type I, type II and type III) and their functions differ in various tissues. The Nrg1 gene has emerged as a key mediator of axon-Schwann cell interactions and as a regulator of Schwann cell development. The Nrg1 gene is indicated as a promising growth factor for neuronal development. However, the function of the Nrg1 in pain has not been clarified. We therefore, examined the expression profiles of each type of the Nrg1 transcript in the bilateral L4/L5 DRGs using L5 spinal nerve ligation (SNL) model rats and complete Freunds adjuvant (CFA) model rats. Behavior tests have shown typical mechanical hyperalgesia in both the L5SNL model and the CFA model. In the L5SNL model, expression of the Nrg1 type I and type II were significantly increased in the L5 DRG. On the other hand, the expression of the Nrg1 type III was decreased in the L5 DRG. We demonstrated that the expression changes of the Nrg1 isoforms in the ipsilateral DRGs were preferentially related to the response to nerve injury. Our findings suggest that the aberrant expression may play an important role in nerve injury, regeneration and subsequent neuropathic pain on the L5SNL.

Mutations in K-Ras linked to levels of osteoprotegerin and sensitivity to TRAIL-induced cell death in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma cells.

Osteoprotegerin (OPG) is a soluble receptor expressed in the serum of patients with diabetes, arthritis and pancreatic cancer. While OPG has been considered a tumor survival factor for bone metastasizing breast and prostate cancers, the role of OPG in pancreatic cancer, which itself rarely metastasizes to bone, is not known. Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) cell lines were found to secrete OPG and the level of OPG production correlated with sensitivity to TRAIL-induced apoptosis. Silencing OPG sensitized cells to TRAIL-induced apoptosis. Interestingly, a positive correlation was noted between OPG production level and K-Ras mutation status. Earlier studies implicated K-Ras in conferring resistance to TRAIL-induced apoptosis in pancreatic cells and this study demonstrates that K-Ras mediated TRAIL resistance in pancreatic cancer cells occurs due to increased OPG production. Silencing K-Ras in pancreatic cancer cells decreased OPG levels and increased sensitivity to TRAIL-induced apoptosis. These observations indicate that OPG can play a role in both cell survival and in PDAC cell sensitivity to TRAIL-induced apoptosis, which may contribute to metastasis. Targeted inhibition of OPG binding to TRAIL may represent a therapeutic approach in the treatment of pancreatic cancer.

Up-regulation of brain-derived neurotrophic factor in the dorsal root ganglion of the rat bone cancer pain model

Metastatic bone cancer causes severe pain, but current treatments often provide insufficient pain relief. One of the reasons is that mechanisms underlying bone cancer pain are not solved completely. Our previous studies have shown that brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), known as a member of the neurotrophic family, is an important molecule in the pathological pain state in some pain models. We hypothesized that expression changes of BDNF may be one of the factors related to bone cancer pain; in this study, we investigated changes of BDNF expression in dorsal root ganglia in a rat bone cancer pain model. As we expected, BDNF mRNA (messenger ribonucleic acid) and protein were significantly increased in L3 dorsal root ganglia after intra-tibial inoculation of MRMT-1 rat breast cancer cells. Among the eleven splice-variants of BDNF mRNA, exon 1–9 variant increased predominantly. Interestingly, the up-regulation of BDNF is localized in small neurons (mostly nociceptive neurons) but not in medium or large neurons (non-nociceptive neurons). Further, expression of nerve growth factor (NGF), which is known as a specific promoter of BDNF exon 1–9 variant, was significantly increased in tibial bone marrow. Our findings suggest that BDNF is a key molecule in bone cancer pain, and NGF-BDNF cascade possibly develops bone cancer pain.

Yes1 signaling mediates the resistance to Trastuzumab/Lap atinib in breast cancer.

Background Overexpression of human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) is observed in approximately 15–23% of breast cancers and these cancers are classified as HER2-positive breast cancer. Trastuzumab is the first-line targeted therapeutic drug for HER2-positive breast cancer and has improved patient overall survival. However, acquired resistance to trastuzumab is still a critical issue in breast cancer treatment. We previously established a trastuzumab-resistant breast cancer cell line (named as BT-474-R) from a trastuzumab-sensitive HER2-amplified cell line BT-474. Lapatinib is also a molecular-targeted drug for HER2-positive breast cancer, which acquired the resistance to trastuzumab. Acquired resistance to lapatinib is also an issue to be conquered. Methods We established trastuzumab/lapatinib-dual resistant cell line (named as BT-474-RL2) by additionally treating BT-474-R with lapatinib. We analyzed the mechanisms of resistance to trastuzumab and lapatinib. Besides, we analyzed the effect of the detected resistance mechanism in HER2-positive breast cancer patients. Results Proto-oncogene tyrosine-protein kinase Yes1, which is one of the Src family members, was amplified, overexpressed and activated in BT-474-R and BT-474-RL2. Silencing of Yes1 by siRNA induced both BT-474-R and BT-474-RL2 to restore the sensitivity to trastuzumab and lapatinib. Pharmaceutical inhibition of Yes1 by the Src inhibitor dasatinib was also effective to restore the sensitivity to trastuzumab and lapatinib in the two resistant cell lines. Combination treatment with dasatinib and trastuzumab induced down-regulation of signaling molecules such as HER2 and Akt. Moreover, the combination treatments induced G1-phase cell-cycle arrest and apoptosis. Consistent with cell line data, high expression of Yes1 mRNA was correlated with worse prognosis in patients with HER2-positive breast cancer. Conclusion Yes1 plays an important role in acquired resistance to trastuzumab and lapatinib in HER2-positive breast cancer. Our data suggest that pharmacological inhibition of Yes1 may be an effective strategy to overcome resistance to trastuzumab and lapatinib.