Ravindra Kolhe

Molecular and biologic characterization and drug sensitivity of pan-histone deacetylase inhibitor–resistant acute myeloid leukemia cells

Hydroxamic acid analog pan-histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors (HA-HDIs) have shown preclinical and clinical activity against human acute leukemia. Here we describe HA-HDI-resistant human acute myeloid leukemia (AML) HL-60 (HL-60/LR) cells that are resistant to LAQ824, vorinostat, LBH589, and sodium butyrate. HL-60/LR cells show increased expression of HDACs 1, 2, and 4 but lack HDAC6 expression, with concomitant hyperacetylation of heat shock protein 90 (hsp90). Treatment with HA-HDI failed to further augment hsp90 acetylation, or increase the levels of p21 or reactive oxygen species (ROSs), in HL-60/LR versus HL-60 cells. Although cross-resistant to antileukemia agents (eg, cytarabine, etoposide, and TRAIL), HL-60/LR cells are collaterally sensitive to the hsp90 inhibitor 17-AAG. Treatment with 17-AAG did not induce hsp70 or deplete the hsp90 client proteins AKT and c-Raf. HL-60/LR versus HL-60 cells display a higher growth fraction and shorter doubling time, along with a shorter interval to generation of leukemia and survival in nonobese diabetic/severe combined immunodeficient (NOD/SCID) mice. Thus, resistance of AML cells to HA-HDIs is associated with loss of HDAC6, hyperacetylation of hsp90, aggressive leukemia phenotype, and collateral sensitivity to 17-AAG. These findings suggest that an hsp90 inhibitor-based antileukemia therapy may override de novo or acquired resistance of AML cells to HA-HDIs.

Treatment with Panobinostat Induces Glucose-Regulated Protein 78 Acetylation and Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress in Breast Cancer Cells

Increased levels of misfolded polypeptides in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) triggers the dissociation of glucose-regulated protein 78 (GRP78) from the three transmembrane ER-stress mediators, i.e., protein kinase RNA-like ER kinase (PERK), activating transcription factor-6 (ATF6), and inositol-requiring enzyme 1α, which results in the adaptive unfolded protein response (UPR). In the present studies, we determined that histone deacetylase-6 (HDAC6) binds and deacetylates GRP78. Following treatment with the pan-histone deacetylase inhibitor panobinostat (Novartis Pharmaceuticals), or knockdown of HDAC6 by short hairpin RNA, GRP78 is acetylated in 11 lysine residues, which dissociates GRP78 from PERK. This is associated with the activation of a lethal UPR in human breast cancer cells. Coimmunoprecipitation studies showed that binding of HDAC6 to GRP78 requires the second catalytic and COOH-terminal BUZ domains of HDAC6. Treatment with panobinostat increased the levels of phosphorylated-eukaryotic translation initiation factor (p-eIF2α), ATF4, and CAAT/enhancer binding protein homologous protein (CHOP). Panobinostat treatment also increased the proapoptotic BIK, BIM, BAX, and BAK levels, as well as increased the activity of caspase-7. Knockdown of GRP78 sensitized MCF-7 cells to bortezomib and panobinostat-induced UPR and cell death. These findings indicate that enforced acetylation and decreased binding of GRP78 to PERK is mechanistically linked to panobinostat-induced UPR and cell death of breast cancer cells. Mol Cancer Ther; 9(4); 942–52. ©2010 AACR.

Cotreatment with Vorinostat Enhances Activity of MK-0457 (VX-680) against Acute and Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia Cells

Purpose: We determined the effects of vorinostat (suberoylanalide hydroxamic acid) and/or MK-0457 (VX-680), an Aurora kinase inhibitor on the cultured human (HL-60, OCI-AML3, and K562) and primary acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) and chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML), as well as on the murine pro-B BaF3 cells with ectopic expression of the unmutated and mutant forms of Bcr-Abl. Experimental Design: Following exposure to MK-0457 and/or vorinostat, apoptosis, loss of viability, as well as activity and levels of Aurora kinase and Bcr-Abl proteins were determined. Results: Treatment with MK-0457 decreased the phosphorylation of Aurora kinase substrates including serine (S)10 on histone H3 and survivin, and led to aberrant mitosis, DNA endoreduplication as well as apoptosis of the cultured human acute leukemia HL-60, OCI-AML3, and K562 cells. Combined treatment with vorinostat and MK-0457 resulted in greater attenuation of Aurora and Bcr-Abl (in K562) kinase activity and levels as well as synergistically induced apoptosis of OCI-AML3, HL-60, and K562 cells. MK-0457 plus vorinostat also induced synergistic apoptosis of BaF3 cells with ectopic overexpression of wild-type or mutant Bcr-Abl. Finally, cotreatment with MK-0457 and vorinostat induced more loss of viability of primary AML and imatinib-refractory CML than treatment with either agent alone, but exhibited minimal toxicity to normal CD34+ progenitor cells. Conclusions: Combined in vitro treatment with MK-0457 and vorinostat is highly active against cultured and primary leukemia cells. These findings merit in vivo testing of the combination against human AML and CML cells, especially against imatinib mesylate–resistant Bcr-AblT315I–expressing CML Cells.

Cotreatment with BCL-2 antagonist sensitizes cutaneous T-cell lymphoma to lethal action of HDAC7-Nur77-based mechanism

Pan-histone deacetylase inhibitors, for example, vorinostat and panobinostat (LBH589; Novartis Pharmaceuticals, East Hanover, NJ), have shown clinical efficacy against advanced cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL). However, the molecular basis of this activity remains unclear. HDAC7, a class IIA histone deacetylase (HDAC), is overexpressed in thymocytes, where it represses expression of the proapoptotic nuclear orphan receptor Nur77. Here, we demonstrate that treatment with panobinostat rapidly inhibits the in vitro and intracellular activity, as well as the mRNA and protein levels of HDAC7, and induces expression and translocation of Nur77 to the mitochondria. There, Nur77 converts death resistance protein Bcl-2 into a killer protein, promoting cell death of cultured and patient-derived human CTCL cells. Treatment with panobinostat improved survival of athymic nude mice implanted with human CTCL cells. Ectopic expression of Nur77 induced apoptosis and sensitized HH cells to panobinostat, whereas combined knockdown of Nur77 and its family member Nor1 was necessary to inhibit panobinostat-induced apoptosis of CTCL cells. Cotreatment with the Bcl-2/Bcl-x(L) antagonist ABT-737 decreased resistance and synergistically induced apoptosis of human CTCL cells. These findings mechanistically implicate HDAC7 and Nur77 in sensitizing human CTCL cells to panobinostat as well as suggest that cotreatment with an anti-Bcl-2 agent would augment the anti-CTCL activity of panobinostat.

Advances in Adipose-Derived Stem Cells Isolation, Characterization, and Application in Regenerative Tissue Engineering

Obesity is a complex, multifactorial disease that has been extensively researched in recent times. Obesity is characterized by excess deposition of adipose tissue in response to surplus energy. Despite the negative connotations of adipose tissue (AT), it serves as a critical endocrine organ. Adipose tissue is a source of several adipokines and cytokines which have been deemed important for both normal metabolic function and disease formation. The discoveries of metabolically active brown AT in adult humans and adipose tissue derived stem cells (ADSC) have been key findings in the past decade with potential therapeutic implications. ADSCs represent an enticing pool of multipotent adult stem cells because of their noncontroversial nature, relative abundance, ease of isolation, and expandability. A decade and a half since the discovery of ADSCs, the scientific community is still working to uncover their therapeutic potential in a wide range of diseases. In this review, we provide an overview of the recent developments in the field of ADSCs and examine their potential use in transplantation and cell-based therapies for the regeneration of diseased organs and systems. We also hope to provide perspective on how to best utilize this readily available, powerful pool of stem cells in the future.

Combined inhibition of DNMT and HDAC blocks the tumorigenicity of cancer stem-like cells and attenuates mammary tumor growth

Recently, impressive technical advancements have been made in the isolation and validation of mammary stem cells and cancer stem cells (CSC), but the signaling pathways that regulate stem cell self-renewal are largely unknown. Furthermore, CSCs are believed to contribute to chemo- and radioresistance. In this study, we used the MMTV-Neu-Tg mouse mammary tumor model to identify potential new strategies for eliminating CSCs. We found that both luminal progenitor and basal stem cells are susceptible to genetic and epigenetic modifications, which facilitate oncogenic transformation and tumorigenic potential. A combination of the DNMT inhibitor 5-azacytidine and the HDAC inhibitor butyrate markedly reduced CSC abundance and increased the overall survival in this mouse model. RNA-seq analysis of CSCs treated with 5-azacytidine plus butyrate provided evidence that inhibition of chromatin modifiers blocks growth-promoting signaling molecules such as RAD51AP1 and SPC25, which play key roles in DNA damage repair and kinetochore assembly. Moreover, RAD51AP1 and SPC25 were significantly overexpressed in human breast tumor tissues and were associated with reduced overall patient survival. In conclusion, our studies suggest that breast CSCs are intrinsically sensitive to genetic and epigenetic modifications and can therefore be significantly affected by epigenetic-based therapies, warranting further investigation of combined DNMT and HDAC inhibition in refractory or drug-resistant breast cancer. Cancer Res; 76(11); 3224-35. ©2016 AACR.

An essential role of Ffar2 (Gpr43) in dietary fibre-mediated promotion of healthy composition of gut microbiota and suppression of intestinal carcinogenesis

Composition of the gut microbiota has profound effects on intestinal carcinogenesis. Diet and host genetics play critical roles in shaping the composition of gut microbiota. Whether diet and host genes interact with each other to bring specific changes in gut microbiota that affect intestinal carcinogenesis is unknown. Ability of dietary fibre to specifically increase beneficial gut microbiota at the expense of pathogenic bacteria in vivo via unknown mechanism is an important process that suppresses intestinal inflammation and carcinogenesis. Free fatty acid receptor 2 (FFAR2 or GPR43) is a receptor for short-chain fatty acids (acetate, propionate and butyrate), metabolites of dietary fibre fermentation by gut microbiota. Here, we show FFAR2 is down modulated in human colon cancers than matched adjacent healthy tissue. Consistent with this, Ffar2−/− mice are hypersusceptible to development of intestinal carcinogenesis. Dietary fibre suppressed colon carcinogenesis in an Ffar2-dependent manner. Ffar2 played an essential role in dietary fibre-mediated promotion of beneficial gut microbiota, Bifidobacterium species (spp) and suppression of Helicobacter hepaticus and Prevotellaceae. Moreover, numbers of Bifidobacterium is reduced, whereas those of Prevotellaceae are increased in human colon cancers than matched adjacent normal tissue. Administration of Bifidobacterium mitigated intestinal inflammation and carcinogenesis in Ffar2−/− mice. Taken together, these findings suggest that interplay between dietary fibre and Ffar2 play a key role in promoting healthy composition of gut microbiota that stimulates intestinal health.

Therapeutic potential of mesenchymal stem cell based therapy for osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a chronic degenerative disease affecting articular cartilage in joints, and it is a leading cause of disability in the United States. Current pharmacological treatment strategies are ineffective to prevent the OA progression; however, cellular therapies have the potential to regenerate the lost cartilage, combat cartilage degeneration, provide pain relief, and improve patient mobility. One of the most promising sources of cellular regenerative medicine is from mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). MSCs can be isolated from adipose tissue, bone marrow, synovial tissue, and other sources. The aim of this review is to compile recent advancement in cellular based therapy more specifically in relation to MSCs in the treatment of osteoarthritis.

Gender-specific differential expression of exosomal miRNA in synovial fluid of patients with osteoarthritis

The pathogenesis of osteoarthritis (OA) is poorly understood, and therapeutic approaches are limited to preventing progression of the disease. Recent studies have shown that exosomes play a vital role in cell-to-cell communication, and pathogenesis of many age-related diseases. Molecular profiling of synovial fluid derived exosomal miRNAs may increase our understanding of OA progression and may lead to the discovery of novel biomarkers and therapeutic targets. In this article we report the first characterization of exosomes miRNAs from human synovial fluid. The synovial fluid exosomes share similar characteristics (size, surface marker, miRNA content) with previously described exosomes in other body fluids. MiRNA microarray analysis showed OA specific exosomal miRNA of male and female OA. Gene Ontology (GO) analysis and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analysis identified gender-specific target genes/signaling pathways. These pathway analyses showed that female OA specific miRNAs are estrogen responsive and target TLR (toll-like receptor) signaling pathways. Furthermore, articular chondrocytes treated with OA derived extracellular vesicles had decreased expression of anabolic genes and elevated expression of catabolic and inflammatory genes. In conclusion, synovial fluid exosomal miRNA content is altered in patients with OA and these changes are gender specific.

Stem Cell-Derived Exosomes: A Potential Alternative Therapeutic Agent in Orthopaedics.

Within the field of regenerative medicine, many have sought to use stem cells as a promising way to heal human tissue; however, in the past few years, exosomes (packaged vesicles released from cells) have shown more exciting promise. Specifically, stem cell-derived exosomes have demonstrated great ability to provide therapeutical benefits. Exosomal products can include miRNA, other genetic products, proteins, and various factors. They are released from cells in a paracrine fashion in order to combat local cellular stress. Because of this, there are vast benefits that medicine can obtain from stem cell-derived exosomes. If exosomes could be extracted from stem cells in an efficient manner and packaged with particular regenerative products, then diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, bone fractures, and other maladies could be treated with cell-free regenerative medicine via exosomes. Many advances must be made to get to this point, and the following review highlights the current advances of stem cell-derived exosomes with particular attention to regenerative medicine in orthopaedics.