Joo-In Park

15d-PGJ2 Induces Apoptosis by Reactive Oxygen Species–mediated Inactivation of Akt in Leukemia and Colorectal Cancer Cells and Shows In vivo Antitumor Activity

Purpose: Recent studies have shown that 15-deoxy-Δ12, 14-prostaglandin J2 (15d-PGJ2), a natural ligand for peroxisome proliferator–activated receptor-γ (PPARγ), inhibits cell proliferation and induces apoptosis. The specific molecular mechanisms underlying this effect remain to be elucidated. We examined whether 15d-PGJ2 has antitumor activity in vitro and in vivo, and investigated the underlying mechanism. Experimental Design: We examined 15d-PGJ2–induced apoptosis in human leukemia cells in the context of mitochondrial injury, oxidative damage, and signaling pathway disturbances. In addition, we investigated the antitumor effect of 15d-PGJ2 in a mouse CT-26 s.c. tumor model and HL-60 leukemia xenograft model. Results: 15d-PGJ2 induced apoptosis in leukemia and colorectal cancer cells in a dose-dependent manner and led to generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) through mitochondria and NADPH oxidase activation, activation of JNK, and inactivation of Akt, a serine/threonine-specific protein kinase. Constitutive activation of Akt for an engineered myristoylated protein prevented 15d-PGJ2–mediated apoptosis but not ROS generation. Collectively, these findings suggest a hierarchical model of apoptosis induced by 15d-PGJ2 in human leukemia cells: oxidative injury represents a primary event resulting in Akt inactivation, which in turn leads to mitochondrial injury and apoptosis. Moreover, 15d-PGJ2 markedly reduced growth of mouse CT-26 s.c. tumors and HL-60 xenograft tumors and down-regulated p-Akt and Akt expression in vivo. Conclusions: These results suggest that Akt inactivation through ROS production may contribute to 15d-PGJ2–induced apoptosis in leukemia and colorectal cancer cell lines and that 15d-PGJ2 may have therapeutic relevance in the treatment of human leukemia and colorectal cancer. (Clin Cancer Res 2009;15(17):5414–25)

Identification of novel substrates for human checkpoint kinase Chk1 and Chk2 through genome-wide screening using a consensus Chk phosphorylation motif.

Checkpoint kinase 1 (Chk1) and Chk2 are effector kinases in the cellular DNA damage response and impairment of their function is closely related to tumorigenesis. Previous studies revealed several substrate proteins of Chk1 and Chk2, but identification of additional targets is still important in order to understand their tumor suppressor functions. In this study, we screened novel substrates for Chk1 and Chk2 using substrate target motifs determined previously by an oriented peptide library approach. The potential candidates were selected by genome-wide peptide database searches and were examined by in vitro kinase assays. ST5, HDAC5, PGC-1α, PP2A PR130, FANCG, GATA3, cyclin G, Rad51D and MAD1α were newly identified as in vitro substrates for Chk1 and/or Chk2. Among these, HDAC5 and PGC-1α were further analyzed to substantiate the screening results. Immunoprecipitation kinase assay of full-length proteins and site-directed mutagenesis analysis of the target motifs demonstrated that HDAC5 and PGC-1α were specific targets for Chk1 and/or Chk2 at least in vitro.

Nek6 is involved in G2/M phase cell cycle arrest through DNA damage-induced phosphorylation.

Nek6 is a recently identified NIMA-related kinase that is required for mitotic cell cycle progression. In the present study, we examined the role of Nek6 in the DNA damage response. We found that Nek6 is phosphorylated upon IR and UV irradiation through the DNA damage checkpoint in vivo. Nek6 is also directly phosphorylated by the checkpoint kinases Chk1 and Chk2 in vitro. Notably, Nek6 activation during mitosis is completely abolished by IR and UV irradiation. Moreover, the ectopic expression of Nek6 overrides DNA damage-induced G2/M arrest. These results suggest that Nek6 is a novel target of the DNA damage checkpoint and that the inhibition of Nek6 activity is required for proper cell cycle arrest in the G2/M phase upon DNA damage.

Ligand of scavenger receptor class A indirectly induces maturation of human blood dendritic cells via production of tumor necrosis factor-α

Dendritic cells (DCs) are the most potent antigen-presenting cells for naive T cells. In this study, scavenger receptor class A type I and type II (SR-A) were shown to be expressed by peripheral blood DCs (PBDCs) and monocyte-derived DCs (MDDCs). In addition, the binding of anti-SR-A antibody to these cells was lower in the presence of fucoidan, an SR-A agonist. Treatment of these DCs with fucoidan or anti-SR-A antibody markedly increased the surface expression of costimulatory molecules CD83 and major histocompatibility complex class II on the CD11c(high)CD123(low) myeloid subset of PBDCs. Furthermore, fucoidan-treated PBDCs produced tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) but not IL-12p70. In addition, fucoidan-induced maturation was eliminated by pretreatment with TNF-alpha-neutralizing antibody. Finally, interferon-gamma secretion and T-cell proliferation were enhanced by coculture of T cells with fucoidan-matured PBDCs. Specific inhibitors of p38 MAPK and glycogen synthase kinase 3 suppressed TNF-alpha production and maturation of fucoidan-treated PBDCs. Moreover, MDDCs lacking SR-A failed to up-regulate CD83 expression, TNF-alpha production, and phosphorylation of p38 MAPK and glycogen synthase kinase 3-beta in the presence of fucoidan. Taken together, these results suggest that ligation of SR-A leads to induction of TNF-alpha, which subsequently induces PBDC maturation, thereby leading to enhanced T-cell stimulatory capacity.

Platelet Activation: The Mechanisms and Potential Biomarkers

Beyond hemostasis and thrombosis, an increasing number of studies indicate that platelets play an integral role in intercellular communication, mediating inflammatory and immunomodulatory activities. Our knowledge about how platelets modulate inflammatory and immunity has greatly improved in recent years. In this review, we discuss recent advances in the pathways of platelet activation and potential application of platelet activation biomarkers to diagnosis and prediction of disease states.

Stichoposide C Induces Apoptosis through the Generation of Ceramide in Leukemia and Colorectal Cancer Cells and Shows In Vivo Antitumor Activity

Purpose: Marine triterpene glycosides that are physiologically active natural compounds isolated from sea cucumbers (holothurians) and sponges have antifungal, cytotoxic, and antitumor activities, whose specific molecular mechanisms remain to be elucidated. In this study, we examined if and through which mechanisms stichoposide C (STC) from Thelenota anax (family Stichopodidae) induces apoptosis in leukemia and colorectal cancer cells. Experimental Design: We examined STC-induced apoptosis in human leukemia and colorectal cancer cells in the context of mitochondrial injury and signaling pathway disturbances, and investigated the antitumor effect of STC in mouse CT-26 subcutaneous tumor and HL-60 leukemia xenograft models. Results: We found that STC induces apoptosis in these cells in a dose-dependent manner and leads to the activation of Fas and caspase-8, cleavage of Bid, mitochondrial damage, and activation of caspase-3. STC activates acid sphingomyelinase (SMase) and neutral SMase, which resulted in the generation of ceramide. Specific inhibition of acid SMase or neutral SMase and siRNA knockdown experiments partially blocked STC-induced apoptosis. Moreover, STC markedly reduced tumor growth of HL-60 xenograft and CT-26 subcutaneous tumors and increased ceramide generation in vivo. Conclusions: Ceramide generation by STC, through activation of acid and neutral SMase, may in part contribute to STC-induced apoptosis and antitumor activity. Thus, STC may have therapeutic relevance for human leukemia and colorectal cancer. Clin Cancer Res; 18(21); 5934–48. ©2012 AACR.

Inhibition of MDR1 gene expression by H-87, a selective inhibitor of cAMP-dependent protein kinase

N-[2-(p-bromocinnamylmethylamino) ethyl]-5-isoquinolinesulfonamide (H-87), a newly synthesized inhibitor of protein kinase A, significantly decreased the drug resistance of multidrug resistant human U937/M cells, mouse FM3A/M and P388/M cells. Northern blot analysis showed MDR1 gene expression was decreased in H-87-treated P388 M cells. H-87 inhibited the activity of MDR1 (multidrug resistance-1) promoter in a dose-dependent manner in transient expression assay. In contrast, the expression of c-raf-1 gene significantly enhanced the activity of MDR1 promoter. We therefore examined the effect of H-87 on MDR1 gene expression in c-raf-1 transfected CV-1 cells (CV-1/raf). A significant decrease in the level of MDR1 mRNA was observed after H-87 treatment of the CV-1/raf cells. These results suggest that inhibition of MDR1 gene expression by H-87 is associated with circumvention of drug resistance in MDR cells.

Expression of dendritic cell markers on cultured neutrophils and its modulation by anti-apoptotic and pro-apoptotic compounds

Neutrophils are also known to acquire the characteristics of dendritic cells (DCs) under the appropriate conditions. In this study, neutrophils were cultivated in vitro in the presence or absence of compounds modulating their survival in an attempt to characterize the expression profile of the DC markers. Higher MHC-II, CD80, CD86, CD83, and CD40 expression levels were detected on the surface of the cultured neutrophils for 24 h than on the freshly isolated cells. The annexin V-positive cells showed a higher expression level of the DC markers than the annexin V-negative cells. The population of neutrophils double stained with annexin V and the DC markers increased after being incubated with agonistic anti-Fas Ab. LPS, the anti-apoptotic compound, decreased the CD86 and MHC-II expression levels but 50-60% of the DC marker-positive cells were detected in the annexin V-positive cells. In contrast, CD80, CD86, CD83, and HLA-DR mRNA levels increased in the GM-CSF-treated neutrophils but not in the anti-Fas Ab-treated neutrophils. T cell proliferation was inhibited by co-culturing them with anti-Fas Ab- or LPS-treated neutrophils at a high neutrophil:T cell ratio. However, the superantigen-mediated T cell proliferation was increased by the LPS-treated neutrophils but decreased by the anti-Fas Ab-treated neutrophils. There was a lower level of interferon-γ production in the T cells co-cultured with anti-Fas Ab-treated neutrophils than with the LPS-treated neutrophils. This suggests that apoptotic neutrophils express DC markers on their surface and the differential expression of DC markers might have a detrimental effect on the immune reaction.

Detection of single nucleotide insertion of BCR/ABL region in imatinib-resistant human myelogenous leukemia SR-1 cells.

Imatinib mesylate is a selective Bcr/Abl kinase inhibitor and an effective anticancer agent for Bcr/Abl-positive chronic myelogenous leukemia. Most patients in chronic phase maintain durable responses; however, many in blast crisis fail to respond, or relapse quickly. Mutations within the BCR/ABL kinase domain are the most commonly identified mechanism associated with relapse. To overcome the imatinib resistance in CML, many investigators have tried to clarify molecular mechanism for imatinib resistance in cells of patients who failed to respond to imatinib. Our aim was to invesitigate underlying mechanism for imatinib resistance in SR-1 cells, which were derived from a CML patient in blast crisis. We detected the new mutation of BCR/ABL, resulting in premature termination and loss of BCR/ABL fusion protein expression, which might be possible mechanism for the resistance to imatinib in SR-1 cells.

Involvement of mitogen-activated protein kinases and p21Waf1 in hydroxyurea-induced G1 arrest and senescence of McA-RH7777 rat hepatoma cell line

Hydroxyurea is commonly used to treat hematologic disorders and some type of solid tumors, but the mechanism for its therapeutic effect is not clearly known. In this study, we examined the effect of hydroxyurea on rat hepatoma McA-RH7777 cells, specifically, on the role of mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase signal transduction pathways and p21Waf1, p27Kip1 and p53. Rat hepatoma McA-RH7777 cells treated with hydroxyurea for 7 days, caused the inhibition of cell growth in a dose-dependent manner. But, this growth inhibition was not caused by necrosis or apoptosis but instead was associated with cell senescence-like change as evidenced by senescence associated-β-galactosidase staining, and cells arrest at G1 phase of cell cycle. Phosphorylation of MAP kinases, such as ERK, JNK, and p38, was found to be decreased after treatment of cells with hydroxyurea. But, the expression of p21Waf1 was increased, while p27Kip1 and p53 were not detected in hydroxyurea treated rat hepatoma cells. Hydroxyurea treatment induced G1 arrest and a senescence-like changes in rat hepatoma McA-RH7777 cells may be the likely results of signal disruption of MAP kinases (ERK, JNK, and p38 MAP kinase) and p21Waf1 over-expression.