Richard Poulin

Androgens inhibit basal and estrogen-induced cell proliferation in the ZR-75-1 human breast cancer cell line

SummaryThis study describes the inhibitory effect of 5α-dihydrotestosterone (5α-DHT) and its precursors testosterone (T) and androst-4-ene-3,17-dione (Δ4-DIONE) on the growth of the estrogen-sensitive human breast cancer cell line ZR-75-1. In the absence of estrogens, cell proliferation measured after a 12-day incubation period was 50–60% inhibited by maximal concentrations of 5α-DHT, T, or Δ4-DIONE with half-maximal effects (IC50 values) observed at 0.10, 0.15 and 15 nM, respectively. This growth inhibition by androgens was due to an increase in generation time and a lowering of the saturation density of cell cultures. The antiestrogen LY156758 (300 nM) induced 25–30% inhibition of basal cell growth, its effect being additive to that of 5α-DHT. The mitogenic effect of 1 nM estradiol (E2) was completely inhibited by increasing concentrations of 5α-DHT with a potency (IC50 = 0.10 nM) similar to that measured when the androgen was used alone. E2 had a more repid effect on cell proliferation than 5α-DHT, the latter requiring at least 5 to 6 days to exert significant growth inhibition. As found in the absence of estrogens, maximal inhibition of cell proliferation in the presence of E2 was achieved by the combination of the antiestrogen and 5α-DHT. Supraphysiological concentrations of E2 (up to 1µM) were needed to completely reverse the growth inhibitory effect of a submaximal concentration of 5α-DHT (1 nM). The antiproliferative effect of androgens was competitively reversed by the antiandrogen hydroxyflutamide, thus indicating an androgen receptor-mediated mechanism. The present data suggest the potential benefits of an androgen-antiestrogen combination therapy in the endocrine management of breast cancer.

Elevated levels of polyamines and trypanothione resulting from overexpression of the ornithine decarboxylase gene in arsenite-resistant Leishmania

The levels of trypanothione, a glutathione–spermidine conjugate, are increased in the protozoan parasite Leishmania selected for resistance to the heavy metal arsenite. The levels of putrescine and spermidine were increased in resistant mutants. This increase is mediated by overexpression of ornithine decarboxylase (ODC), the rate‐limiting enzyme in polyamine biosynthesis. Gene overexpression is generally mediated by gene amplification in Leishmania but, here, the mRNA and the enzymatic activity of ODC are increased without gene amplification. This RNA overexpression is stable when cells are grown in the absence of the drug and does not result from gene rearrangements or from an increased rate of RNA synthesis. Transient transfections suggest that mutations in the revertant cells contribute to these elevated levels of RNA. Stable transfection of the ODC gene increases the level of trypanothione, which can contribute to arsenite resistance. In addition to ODC overexpression, the gene for the ABC transporter PGPA is amplified in the mutants. The co‐transfection of the ODC and PGPA genes confers resistance in a synergistic fashion in partial revertants, also suggesting that PGPA recognizes metals conjugated to trypanothione.

Antiestrogenic properties of keoxifene,trans-4-hydroxytamoxifen, and ICI 164384, a new steroidal antiestrogen, in ZR-75-1 human breast cancer cells

The agonistic/antagonistic properties of two non-steroidal antiestrogens, namelytrans-4-monohydroxy-tamoxifen (OH-TAM) and keoxifene (LY156758), and the new steroidal antiestrogen ICI164384, a 7β-alkylamide derivative of estradiol (E2), were assessed by measuring their effect on the proliferation of ZR·75-1 cells, an estrogen-responsive human breast cancer cell line. While subnanomolar concentrations of both OH-TAM and LY156758 had significant estrogenic stimulatory activity on cell growth in the absence of estrogens and higher concentrations were inhibitory, ICI164384 behaved exclusively as a growth inhibitor and more potently so than the two other compounds. The three antiestrogens had similar potency to inhibit the mitogenic effect of E2 and at 300 nM, all antiproliferative effects were completely reversible by the estrogen. ICI164384 was a weaker competitor of3H-labeled E2 or R2858 (moxestrol) uptake in intact ZR-75-1 cells in a 1-hour assay, partly because of a slower intracellular access to estrogen specific binding sites. Moreover, ICI164384 interacted in a rapidly (~ 6 h) reversible manner with estrogen-specific binding sites, while the non-steroidal antiestrogens induced a longer-acting (> 24 h) down-regulation of specific [3H]R2858 uptake. The present data indicate that, among the antiestrogens studied, ICI164384 is the only compound acting as a pure antiestrogen in ZR-75-1 breast cancer cells, while LY156758 and OH-TAM behave as antiestrogens endowed with partial agonistic activity in this system.

Androgen and glucocorticoid receptor-mediated inhibition of cell proliferation by medroxyprogesterone acetate in ZR-75-1 human breast cancer cells

Medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA) is a synthetic progestin, currently used in the adjuvant treatment of advanced breast cancer, which induces remission rates (30–40%) comparable to those obtained with other types of endocrine therapies. Since, in addition to its progestin-like action, MPA exhibits androgen- and glucocorticoid-like activities in other tissues, the present study was designed to assess the relative contribution of the different steroid receptor systems in the direct action of MPA on breast cancer cell growth, using the ZR-75-1 human mammary carcinoma cell line as anin vitro model.Unlike pure progestins, MPA potently inhibited the proliferation of ZR-75-1 cells in a concentrationdependent manner either in the presence or in the absence of estrogens, and the addition of insulin had only marginal effects on its growth-inhibitory activity. On the other hand, both hydroxyflutamide (OHF, a non-steroidal monospecific antiandrogen) and RU486 (a potent antiglucocorticoid and antiprogestin also endowed with antiandrogenic activity) competitively reversed MPA antiproliferative effects. MPA further decreased the growth of ZR-75-1 cells co-incubated with maximally inhibitory concentrations of either 5α-dihydrotestosterone (DHT) or dexamethasone (DEX), although at about 300-fold higher MPA concentrations with DHT-treated than with DEX-treated ZR-75-1 cells, thus demonstrating a highly predominant androgenic effect. However, MPA had no effect on the growth of ZR-75-1 cells co-incubated with DHT and DEX simultaneously, thus supporting the predominant role of androgen and glucocorticoid receptors in MPA action. A 12-day preincubation of ZR-75-1 cells with increasing concentrations of MPA (10−12 to 3 × 10−6M) decreased the specific uptake of [3H]estradiol (E2) by intact cell monolayers to the same extent as 10 nM DHT, an effect which was competitively blocked by the addition of OHF (3 µM). MPA action on ZR-75-1 cell growth also significantly differed from that of progestins in being additive to the inhibition of E2-stimulated growth by the steroidal antiestrogen ICI164384.The present data indicate that the main action of MPA on ZR-75-1 human breast cancer cell growth is due to its androgen receptor-mediated inhibitory action, while its glucocorticoid-like activity could play an additional role at high concentrations.

AGP2 encodes the major permease for high affinity polyamine import in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Polyamines play essential functions in many aspects of cell biology. Plasma membrane transport systems for the specific uptake of polyamines exist in most eukaryotic cells but have been very recently identified at the molecular level only in the parasite Leishmania. We now report that the high affinity polyamine permease in Saccharomyces cerevisiae is identical to Agp2p, a member of the yeast amino acid transporter family that was previously identified as a carnitine transporter. Deletion of AGP2 dramatically reduces the initial velocity of spermidine and putrescine uptake and confers strong resistance to the toxicity of exogenous polyamines, and transformation with an AGP2 expression vector restored polyamine transport in agp2Δ mutants. Yeast mutants deficient in polyamine biosynthesis required >10-fold higher concentrations of exogenous putrescine to restore cell proliferation upon deletion of the AGP2 gene. Disruption of END3, a gene required for an early step of endocytosis, increased the abundance of Agp2p, an effect that was paralleled by a marked up-regulation of spermidine transport velocity. Thus, AGP2 encodes the first eukaryotic permease that preferentially uses spermidine over putrescine as a high affinity substrate and plays a central role in the uptake of polyamines in yeast.

The Human Carnitine Transporter SLC22A16 Mediates High Affinity Uptake of the Anticancer Polyamine Analogue Bleomycin-A5

Bleomycin is used in combination with other antineoplastic agents to effectively treat lymphomas, testicular carcinomas, and squamous cell carcinomas of the cervix, head, and neck. However, resistance to bleomycin remains a persistent limitation in exploiting the full therapeutic benefit of the drug with other types of cancers. Previously, we documented that the Saccharomyces cerevisiae l-carnitine transporter Agp2 is responsible for the high affinity uptake of polyamines and of the polyamine analogue bleomycin-A5. Herein, we document that the human l-carnitine transporter hCT2 encoded by the SLC22A16 gene is involved in bleomycin-A5 uptake, as well as polyamines. We show that NT2/D1 human testicular cancer cells, which highly express hCT2, are extremely sensitive to bleomycin-A5, whereas HCT116 human colon carcinoma cells devoid of detectable hCT2 expression or MCF-7 human breast cancer cells that only weakly express the permease showed striking resistance to the drug. NT2/D1 cells accumulated fluorescein-labeled bleomycin-A5 to substantially higher levels than HCT116 cells. Moreover, l-carnitine protected NT2/D1 cells from the lethal effects of bleomycin-A5 by preventing its influx, and siRNA targeted to hCT2 induced resistance to bleomycin-A5-dependent genotoxicity. Furthermore, hCT2 overexpression induced by transient transfection of a functional hCT2-GFP fusion protein sensitized HCT116 cells to bleomycin-A5. Collectively, our data strongly suggest that hCT2 can mediate bleomycin-A5 and polyamine uptake, and that the rate of bleomycin-A5 accumulation may account for the differential response to the drug in patients.

Valuing Real Capital Investments Using The Least-Squares Monte Carlo Method

The recently developed least-squares Monte Carlo (LSM) method provides a simple and efficient technique for valuing American-type options. The proposed method is applicable to the cases of compound real options, like the other numerical techniques such as finite difference and lattice methods, with the additional advantage to handle easily the cases of multiple uncertain state variables with different and complex stochastic processes. With this advantage, the LSM method is not only efficient for valuing multi-factor American options, but it can also be extended for valuing complex real investments having many embedded real options and involving multiple uncertain state variables. This article examines the applicability of the LSM method in valuing real capital investments. Two valuation examples have been provided to test the efficiency of the proposed method in both the valuation and the decision-making processes.

Progestin inhibition of estrogen-dependent proliferation in ZR-75-1 human breast cancer cells: Antagonism by insulin

The effect of R5020 [17,21-dimethyl-19-nor-4,9-pregnadiene-3,20-dione], a synthetic progestin, was studied in the hormone-responsive ZR-75-1 human breast cancer cell line. Following a 12-day incubation with increasing concentrations of R5020, the mitogenic effect of 17β-estradiol (E2,1 nM) was partially (60–80%) antagonized by the progestin, with a half-maximal effective concentration measured at about 30 pM. This effect of R5020 was completely reversed by the addition of physiological concentrations of bovine insulin, as well as by the potent antiprogestin RU486 [17β-hydroxy-11β-(4-dimethylaminophenyl)-17α-(1-propynyl)-4,9-estradien-3-one], but not by the antiandrogen hydroxyflutamide (α,α,α-trifluoro-2-methyl-4′-nitro-m-lactotoluidide). Moreover, the effect of R5020 required the presence of estrogens, thus further indicating a progesterone receptor (PgR)-mediated effect. Low (<100 nM) concentrations of R5020 increased the specific binding of [125I]-insulin up to 2- to 2.5-fold in intact ZR-75-1 cells, an effect which was reversed by RU486. The effect was rapid, being nearly maximal after 24 h of incubation with R5020. The PgR-mediated effect of R5020 on cell proliferation was abolished by the addition of a pure steroidal antiestrogen. The present results suggest a physiological role for progestins in increasing the responsiveness to insulin, which could, in turn, reverse the antiproliferative effect of progestins on estrogen action and thus decrease the efficacy of progestins in the treatment of breast cancer.

Synthesis of spermidine and norspermidine dimers as high affinity polyamine transport inhibitors.

A series of novel spermidine and sym-norspermidine dimers was synthesized by crosslinking the polyamine backbones via alkylation of their secondary amino groups to butyl, trans-2-butenyl, 2-butynyl or p-xylyl bridges. The resulting hexamines behaved as high-affinity antagonists of polyamine uptake, with a relative potency that was dependent on the geometry of the linker structure.

Agp2, a Member of the Yeast Amino Acid Permease Family, Positively Regulates Polyamine Transport at the Transcriptional Level

Agp2 is a plasma membrane protein of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae amino acid transporter family, involved in high-affinity uptake of various substrates including L-carnitine and polyamines. The discovery of two high affinity polyamine permeases, Dur3 and Sam3, prompted us to investigate whether Agp2 directly transports polyamines or acts instead as a regulator. Herein, we show that neither dur3Δ nor sam3Δ single mutant is defective in polyamine transport, while the dur3Δ sam3Δ double mutant exhibits a sharp decrease in polyamine uptake and an increased resistance to polyamine toxicity similar to the agp2Δ mutant. Studies of Agp2 localization indicate that in the double mutant dur3Δ sam3Δ, Agp2-GFP remains plasma membrane-localized, even though transport of polyamines is strongly reduced. We further demonstrate that Agp2 controls the expression of several transporter genes including DUR3 and SAM3, the carnitine transporter HNM1 and several hexose, nucleoside and vitamin permease genes, in addition to SKY1 encoding a SR kinase that positively regulates low-affinity polyamine uptake. Furthermore, gene expression analysis clearly suggests that Agp2 is a strong positive regulator of additional biological processes. Collectively, our data suggest that Agp2 might respond to environmental cues and thus regulate the expression of several genes including those involved in polyamine transport.