Iva Slaninová

Comparative study of mouse and human feeder cells for human embryonic stem cells

Various types of feeder cells have been adopted for the culture of human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) to improve their attachment and provide them with stemness-supporting factors. However, feeder cells differ in their capacity to support the growth of undifferentiated hESCs. Here, we compared the expression and secretion of four well-established regulators of hESC pluripotency and/or differentiation among five lines of human foreskin fibroblasts and primary mouse embryonic fibroblasts throughout a standard hESC culture procedure. We found that human and mouse feeder cells secreted comparable levels of TGF beta 1. However, mouse feeder cells secreted larger quantities of activin A than human feeder cells. Conversely, FGF-2, which was produced by human feeder cells, could not be detected in culture media from mouse feeder cells. The quantity of BMP-4 was at about the level of detectability in media from all feeder cell types, although BMP-4 dimers were present in all feeder cells. Production of TGF beta 1, activin A, and FGF-2 varied considerably among the human-derived feeder cell lines. Low- and high-producing human feeder cells as well as mouse feeder cells were evaluated for their ability to support the undifferentiated growth of hESCs. We found that a significantly lower proportion of hESCs maintained on human feeder cell types expressed SSEA3, an undifferentiated cell marker. Moreover, SSEA3 expression and thus the pluripotent hESC compartment could be partially rescued by addition of activin A. Cumulatively, these results suggest that the ability of a feeder layer to promote the undifferentiated growth of hESCs is attributable to its characteristic growth factor production.

Domestication of wild Saccharomyces cerevisiae is accompanied by changes in gene expression and colony morphology.

Although colonies from Saccharomyces cerevisiae laboratory strains are smooth, those isolated from nature exhibit a structured fluffy pattern. Environmental scanning electron microscopy shows that the cells within wild fluffy colonies are connected by extracellular matrix (ECM) material. This material contains a protein of about 200 kDa unrelated to the flocculins, proteins involved in cell–cell adhesion in liquid media. The matrix material binds to concanavalin A. Within a few passages on rich agar medium, the wild strains switch from the fluffy to the smooth colony morphology. This domestication is accompanied by loss of the ECM and by extensive changes in gene expression as detected by DNA microarrays. The expression of about 320 genes was changed in smooth colonies. The major changes comprise carbohydrate metabolism, cell wall, water channels, Ty‐transposons and subtelomeric genes, iron homeostasis, vitamin metabolism and cell cycle and polarity. The growth in fluffy colonies may represent a metabolic strategy for survival of yeast under unfavourable conditions that is switched off under felicitous laboratory conditions.

Interaction of benzo[c]phenanthridine and protoberberine alkaloids with animal and yeast cells

We compared the effects of four quaternary benzo[c]phenanthridine alkaloids – chelerythrine, chelilutine, sanguinarine, and sanguilutine – and two quaternary protoberberine alkaloids – berberine and coptisine – on the human cell line HeLa (cervix carcinoma cells) and the yeastsSaccharomyces cerevisiae andSchizosaccharomyces japonicus var. versatilis. The ability of alkaloids to display primary fluorescence, allowed us to record their dynamics and localization in cells. Cytotoxic, anti-microtubular, and anti-actin effects in living cells were studied. In the yeasts, neither microtubules nor cell growth was seriously affected even at the alkaloid concentration of 100 μg/ml. The HeLa cells, however, responded to the toxic effect of alkaloids at concentrations ranging from 1 to 50 μg/ml. IC50 values for individual alkaloids were: sanguinarine IC50 = 0.8 μg/ml, sanguilutine IC50 = 8.3 μg/ml, chelerythrine IC50 = 6.2 μg/ml, chelilutine IC50 = 5.2 μg/ml, coptisine IC50 = 2.6 μg/ml and berberine IC50 >10.0 μg/ml. In living cells, sanguinarine produced a decrease in microtubule numbers, particularly at the cell periphery, at a concentration of 0.1 μg/ml. The other alkaloids showed a similar effect but at higher concentrations (5–50 μg/ml). The strongest effects of sanguinarine were explained as a consequence of its easy penetration through the cell membrane owing to nonpolar pseudobase formation and to a high degree of molecular planarity.

Antitumour activities of sanguinarine and related alkaloids

Sanguinarine is a best-known member of a relatively small group of quaternary benzo[c]phenanthridine alkaloids (QBAs). QBAs are widely distributed in the family Papaveraceae and, to a limited extent, in some species of the families Fumariaceae and Rutaceae. From a medical perspective, QBAs have many important properties. In addition to antitumour activity, they display antimicrobial, antifungal and anti-inflammatory effects. They may interact with many targets, such as DNA and microtubules, and they modify the activities of a wide variety of enzymes. This review summarises the current state of knowledge about the properties of QBAs that are important for their potential use in anticancer therapy.

New and facile method of preparation of the anti-HIV-1 agent,1,3-dicaffeoylquinic acid

A facile and inexpensive preparation of 1,3-dicaffeoylquinic acid (cynarin) from the leaves Cynara cardunculus L. (Asteraceae) without the use any chromatographic steps is described. The procedure was based on separation of the fraction rich in 1,5-dicaffeoylquinic acid, isomerisation of 1,5-dicaffeoylquinic acid to cynarin and, owing to its higher polarity, the simple isolation of cynarin from the reaction mixture. Cynarin inhibited HIV-1 replication in MT-2 cell culture at nontoxic concentrations similar to other previously tested dicaffeoylquinic acids, which have been recently established as a potent and highly selective class of HIV-1 integrase inhibitors.

Benzo[c]phenanthridine alkaloids exhibit strong anti-proliferative activity in malignant melanoma cells regardless of their p53 status

BACKGROUND Search for new substances with antiproliferative activity towards melanoma cells is important since malignant melanoma is notoriously resistant to conventional chemotherapy. Benzo[c]phenanthridine alkaloids (BAs) are natural products with significant anti-proliferative activities, therefore they are considered as agents promising for cancer therapy. OBJECTIVES The effects of five BAs (sanguinarine, chelerythrine, chelidonine, sanguilutine, and chelilutine) on human malignant melanoma cell lines were compared. The study focused on BAs effects on DNA, anti-apoptotic and p53 protein levels; and the involvement of p53 in cellular responses to alkaloids treatment. METHODS Melanoma cell lines, two wild types and two with dysfunctional p53 derived from one of them were used. The mechanism of anti-proliferative and pro-apoptotic effects and the effect on DNA was investigated using MTT assay, flow cytometry, Western blot analysis, fluorescence and electron microscopy. RESULTS All tested alkaloids exhibit strong anti-proliferative activity. CHL, CHE and SA induced apoptosis, which was probably mediated by decreasing levels of anti-apoptotic proteins (Bcl-xL, Mcl-1, XIAP) and was accompanied by mitochondrial membrane potential decrease as well as caspase-3 and PARP cleavage. Although all alkaloids caused DNA damage, which was demonstrated by induction of H2AX phosphorylation, none of the tested alkaloids stabilised p53 and their toxicity in cells with non-functional p53 was comparable to wild type cells. CONCLUSION Despite the profound similarity of BAs molecular structures, it is clear that the mechanism of cell death induction is different for each alkaloid. Our results indicate that BAs could be effective in malignant melanoma treatment, including tumours which have lost wild type p53.

Fluorescence properties of selected benzo[c]phenantridine alkaloids and studies of their interaction with CT DNA

The spectral, especially fluorescence properties, of seven selected quaternary benzo[c]phenantridine alkaloids (sanguinarine, chelerythrine, chelirubine, sanguirubine, chelilutine, sanguilutine, and macarpine) were studied in presence and in absence of double-stranded DNA. This study has proved dramatic differences in fluorescence emission of all studied alkaloids in presence of calf thymus DNA in comparison to fluorescence of free alkaloids. The most remarkable are changes in emission spectra of macarpine, chelirubine, and sanguirubine. Association constants (logK) for interaction of all studied alkaloids with CT DNA were calculated.

Effect of quaternary benzo[c]phenanthridine alkaloids sanguilutine and chelilutine on normal and cancer cells

Sanguilutine and chelilutine, quaternary benzo[c]phenanthridine alkaloids, were studied for their antiproliferative activities with regard to their ability to induce oxidative stress. We observed potent antiproliferative activities for both alkaloids against three tumour (HeLa; HL-60; A-2780) and two normal (V-79; LEP) cell lines. Both alkaloids were efficient inductors of apoptosis. Statistical analysis revealed higher toxicity for sanguilutine compared to chelilutine and unequal sensitivity with regard to individual cell lines, although independent of the character of the cell line (i.e. tumour vs. normal). Dihydrofluorescein diacetate staining was used to measure intracellular ROS accumulation after treatment with sanguilutine, chelilutine, sanguinarine, and chelerythrine. In addition, anti-oxidative effects were studied. The effects of the alkaloids were compared with the effects of commonly used anti-oxidants, such as trolox, caffeine acid, and chlorogenic acid. None of the tested alkaloids (0.1 and 1 microg/ml) increased ROS production. Pre-incubation of sanguinarine and chelilutine (at all tested concentrations) and sanguilutine and chelerythrine (1 microg/ml) decreased oxidative stress caused by H(2)O(2). These findings indicate high antiproliferative and pro-apoptotic effects of sanguilutine and chelilutine that are not accompanied by oxidative stress induction, to the contrary, both alkaloids showed anti-oxidative effects.

Quaternary benzo[c]phenanthridine alkaloids--novel cell permeant and red fluorescing DNA probes.

Quaternary benzo[c]phenanthridine alkaloids (QBAs) are naturally occurring compounds isolated from plants in the Fumariaceae, Papaveraceae, Ranunculaceae, and Rutaceae families. In addition to having a wide range of biological activities, they are also attractive for their fluorescent properties. We observed interesting fluorescent characteristics in the QBAs–macarpine (MA), sanguirubine (SR), chelirubine (CHR), sanguilutine (SL), chelilutine (CHL), sanguinarine (SA) and chelerythrine (CHE) after interaction with living cells.

Dibenzocyclooctadiene lignans overcome drug resistance in lung cancer cells - Study of structure-activity relationship

A panel of nine dibenzo[a,c]cyclooctadiene lignans, schizandrin, gomisin A, gomisin N, gomisin J, angeloylgomisin H, tigloylgomisin P, deoxyschizandrin, gamma-schizandrin and wuweizisu C was examined for their effect on multidrug resistance, as well as their anti-proliferative activities. COR-L23/R, a multidrug resistant sub-line, which has been reported to over-express multidrug resistance-associated protein (MRP1), was used for the experiments together with its parent cell line COR-L23 (human lung cell carcinoma). We found that lignans deoxyschizandrin and gamma-schizandrin at relatively non-toxic concentrations restored the cytotoxic action of doxorubicin to COR-L23/R cells. Deoxyschizandrin and gamma-schizandrin also significantly enhanced the accumulation of doxorubicin in drug resistant cells. Both lignans alone had no effect on the cell cycle; however, when combined with sub-toxic doses of doxorubicin, they induced cell cycle arrest in the G2/M phase, which is typical for toxic doses of doxorubicin. Our results suggest that deoxyschizandrin and gamma-schizandrin potentiate the cytotoxic effect of doxorubicin in doxorubicin resistant lung cancer cells COR-L23/R by increasing the accumulation of doxorubicin inside the cells. The common structural feature of both active lignans is the R-biaryl configuration and the absence of a hydroxy group at C-8. Unlike the reversal effect, the cytotoxicity of lignans with the R-biaryl configuration was similar to that observed for lignans with the S-biaryl configuration.