Sreenath V. Sharma

Targeting of the protein chaperone, HSP90, by the transformation suppressing agent, radicicol

Radicicol, a macrocyclic anti-fungal antibiotic, has the ability to suppress transformation by diverse oncogenes such as Src, Ras and Mos. Despite this useful property, the mechanism by which radicicol exerts its anti-transformation effects is currently unknown. To understand the transformation-suppressing effects of radicicol, a biotinylated derivative of radicicol was chemically synthesized and used as a probe in a Western-blot format to visualize cellular proteins that interact with radicicol. In transformed and untransformed mouse fibroblasts, the most prominent cellular protein that bound to radicicol had a molecular weight of approximately 90 kDa. Further analysis revealed that this protein was the mouse homologue of the 90 kDa heat shock protein (HSP90). This was confirmed by demonstrating the ability of radicicol to specifically bind purified human HSP90. Specificity of binding was demonstrated by the inhibition of binding of biotinylated radicicol by the native drug. Taken together with other studies the present observations suggest that the anti-transformation effects of radicicol may be mediated, at least in part, by the association of radicicol with HSP90 and the consequent dissociation of the Raf/HSP90 complex leading to the attenuation of the Ras/MAP kinase signal transduction pathway.

Development of radicicol analogues.

Radicicol, a macrocyclic antibiotic produced by fungi, was originally isolated many years ago, and was described as tyrosine kinase inhibitor. We also rediscovered radicicol as an inhibitor of signal transduction of oncogene products, such as K-ras and v-Src, using yeast and mammalian cell-based assays. In a study of mechanisms of action, it was revealed that radicicol depletes the Hsp90 client signaling molecules in cells, and thus inhibit the signal transduction pathway. In addition, direct binding of radicicol to the N-terminal ATP/ADP binding site of Hsp90 was shown, and thus radicicol has been recognized as a structurally unique antibiotic that binds and inhibits the molecular chaperone Hsp90. Although radicicol itself has little or no activity in animals because of instability in animals, its oxime derivatives showed potent antitumor activities against human tumor xenograft models. Hsp90 client proteins were depleted and apoptosis was induced in the tumor specimen treated with radicicol oxime derivatives. Taken together, these results suggest that the antitumor activity of radicicol oxime derivatives is mediated by binding to Hsp90 and destabilization of Hsp90 client proteins in the tumor. Among Hsp90 clients, we focused on ErbB2 and Bcr-Abl as examples of important targets of Hsp90 inhibitors. Radicicol oxime showed potent antitumor activity against ER negative/ErbB2 overexpressing breast cancer and Bcr-Abl expressing CML. Putative mechanisms of action and future directions of radicicol oxime against these kinds of tumor are discussed.

Radicicol Leads to Selective Depletion of Raf Kinase and Disrupts K-Ras-activated Aberrant Signaling Pathway

Activation of Ras leads to the constitutive activation of a downstream phosphorylation cascade comprised of Raf-1, mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) kinase, and MAPK. We have developed a yeast-based assay in which the Saccharomyces cerevisiae mating pheromone-induced MAPK pathway relied on co-expression of K-Ras and Raf-1. Radicicol, an antifungal antibiotic, was found to inhibit the K-ras signaling pathway reconstituted in yeast. In K-ras-transformed, rat epithelial, and K-ras-activated, human pancreatic carcinoma cell lines, radicicol inhibited K-Ras-induced hyperphosphorylation of Erk2. In addition, the level of Raf kinase was significantly decreased in radicicol-treated cells, whereas the levels of K-Ras and MAPK remained unchanged. These results suggest that radicicol disrupts the K-Ras-activated signaling pathway by selectively depleting Raf kinase and raises the possibility that pharmacological destabilization of Raf kinase could be a new and powerful approach for the treatment of K-ras-activated human cancers.

UCS15A, a non-kinase inhibitor of Src signal transduction.

Src tyrosine kinase plays key roles in signal transduction following growth factor stimulation and integrin-mediated cell-substrate adhesion. Since src-signal transduction defects are implicated in a multitude of human diseases, we have sought to develop new ways to identify small molecule inhibitors using a yeast-based, activated-src over-expression system. In the present study, we describe the identification of a unique src-signal transduction inhibitor, UCS15A. UCS15A was found to inhibit the src specific tyrosine phosphorylation of numerous proteins in v-src-transformed cells. Two of these phosphoproteins were identified as bona-fide src substrates, cortactin and Sam68. UCS15A differed from conventional src-inhibitors in that it did not inhibit the tyrosine kinase activity of src. In addition, UCS15A appeared to differ from src-destabilizing agents such as herbimycin and radicicol that destabilize src by interfering with Hsp90. Our studies suggest that UCS15A exerted its src-inhibitory effects by a novel mechanism that involved disruption of protein-protein interactions mediated by src. One of the biological consequences of src-inhibition by UCS15A was its ability to inhibit the bone resorption activity of osteoclasts in vitro. These data suggest that UCS15A may inhibit the bone resorption activity of osteoclasts, not by inhibiting src tyrosine kinase activity, but by disrupting the interaction of proteins associated with src, thereby modulating downstream events in the src signal transduction pathway.

UCS15A, a novel small molecule, SH3 domain-mediated protein-protein interaction blocking drug.

Protein–protein interactions play critical regulatory roles in mediating signal transduction. Previous studies have identified an unconventional, small-molecule, Src signal transduction inhibitor, UCS15A. UCS15A differed from conventional Src-inhibitors in that it did not alter the levels or the tyrosine kinase activity of Src. Our studies suggested that UCS15A exerted its Src-inhibitory effects by a novel mechanism that involved the disruption of protein–protein interactions mediated by Src. In the present study we have examined the ability of UCS15A to disrupt the interaction of Src–SH3 with Sam68, both in vivo and in vitro. This ability of UCS15A was not restricted to Src–SH3 mediated protein–protein interactions, since the drug was capable of disrupting the in vivo interactions of Sam68 with other SH3 domain containing proteins such as Grb2 and PLCγ. In addition, UCS15A was capable of disrupting other typical SH3-mediated protein–protein interactions such as Grb2–Sos1, cortactin–ZO1, as well as atypical SH3-mediated protein–protein interactions such as Grb2–Gab1. However, UCS15A was unable to disrupt the non-SH3-mediated protein–protein interactions of β-catenin, with E-cadherin and α-catenin. In addition, UCS15A had no effect on the SH2-mediated interaction between Grb2 and activated Epidermal Growth Factor receptor. Thus, the ability of UCS15A, to disrupt protein–protein interactions appeared to be restricted to SH3-mediated protein–protein interactions. In this regard, UCS15A represents the first example of a non-peptide, small molecule agent capable of disrupting SH3-mediated protein–protein interactions. In vitro analyses suggested that UCS15A did not bind to the SH3 domain itself but rather may interact directly with the target proline-rich domains.

Stereospecific antitumor activity of radicicol oxime derivatives.

Abstract.Purpose: Radicicol is a novel hsp90 antagonist, distinct from the chemically unrelated benzoquinone ansamycin compounds, geldanamycin and herbimycin. Both geldanamycin and radicicol bind in the aminoterminal nucleotide-binding pocket of hsp90, destabilizing the hsp90 client proteins, many of which are essential for tumor cell growth. We describe here antitumor activity of a novel oxime derivative of radicicol, KF58333. We also investigated the mechanism of antitumor activity of KF58333 in comparison with its oxime isomer KF58332. Methods: Antiproliferative activities were determined in a panel of breast cancer cell lines in vitro. We also examined inhibition of hsp90 function and apoptosis induction in erbB2-overexpressing human breast carcinoma KPL-4 cells in vitro. Direct binding activity to hsp90 was assessed by hsp90-binding assays using geldanamycin or radicicol beads. In animal studies, we investigated plasma concentrations of these compounds after i.v. injection in BALB/c mice and antitumor activity against KPL-4 cells transplanted into nude mice. Inhibition of hsp90 function and induction of apoptosis in vivo were investigated using tumor specimens from drug-treated animals. Results: KF58333 showed potent antiproliferative activity against all breast cancer cell lines tested in vitro, and was more potent than its stereoisomer KF58332. These results are consistent with the ability of KF58333 to deplete hsp90 client proteins and the induction of apoptosis in KPL-4 cells in vitro. Interestingly, KF58333, but not KF58332, showed significant in vivo antitumor activity accompanied by induction of apoptosis in KPL-4 human breast cancer xenografts. Although the plasma concentrations of these compounds were equivalent, KF58333, but not KF58332, depleted hsp90 client proteins such as erbB2, raf-1 and Akt in the tumor specimen recovered from nude mice. Conclusions: These results suggest that inhibition of hsp90 function, which causes depletion of hsp90 client proteins in tumor, contributes to the antitumor activity of KF58333, and that the stereochemistry of the oxime moiety is important for the biological activity of radicicol oxime derivatives.

Synthetic Inhibitors of Proline-Rich Ligand-Mediated Protein-Protein Interaction: Potent Analogs of UCS15A

The proline-rich motif in proteins is known to function as a ligand sequence that binds to protein modules such as SH3, WW, and several other protein interaction domains. These proline-rich ligand-mediated protein-protein interactions (abbreviated PLPI) are important in many signaling pathways that are involved in various diseases. Our previous studies showed that UCS15A, produced by Streptomyces species, inhibited PLPI. Here we report on synthetic analogs of UCS15A that show more potent activity than UCS15A in inhibiting PLPI. A synthetic analog, compound 2c, blocked in vitro PLPI of Sam68-Fyn-SH3 as well as in vivo PLPI of Grb2-Sam68 and Grb2-Sos1. Activation of MEK was also inhibited by compound 2c. Unlike UCS15A, compound 2c was an order of magnitude less cytotoxic and did not cause morphological changes in treated cells.

Rapid recruitment of p120RasGAP and its associated protein, p190RhoGAP, to the cytoskeleton during integrin mediated cell-substrate interaction

The interaction of cells with their substrate triggers cascades of signal transduction that result in profound changes in cell morphology. The nature of these signals and how they are integrated to orchestrate changes in cell shape are beginning to be elucidated. In particular, adhesive interactions between cells and their substrate, mediated by cell-surface integrins and extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins, appear to result in massive rearrangement of the cell cytoskeleton via the small G-protein, Rho. Here we show that in mouse fibroblasts, the interaction between cells and their substrate results in the rapid recruitment to the cytoskeleton of RasGAP (p120RasGAP), its associated protein of 190 kilodaltons, the GTPase activating protein for RhoA (p190RhoGAP) and the focal adhesion kinase (p125FAK). Similar results were obtained when cells were plated on ECM proteins, such as fibronectin, suggesting that the phenomenon is integrin mediated. These studies suggest that in fibroblasts, cell-substrate interaction triggered by integrin engagement result in the recruitment to the cytoskeleton of signaling molecules such as p120RasGAP, p190RhoGAP and p125FAK and may be involved in the formation of membrane cytoskeleton-associated signaling complexes that are important in cytoarchitectural reorganization.

Expression of the ROS1 oncogene for tyrosine receptor kinase in adult human meningiomas

Oncogenes have been implicated in the promotion and progression of cancer in humans. Expression of the ROS1 oncogene, a member of the receptor tyrosine kinase superfamily, was examined in human meningiomas by coupled reverse transcription and polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assays. Two sets of region-specific oligonucleotides, specific for different regions of the ROS1 messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA), were used in RT-PCR assays to independently examine ROS1 transcripts from primary human meningiomas. ROS1 was expressed at high levels in approximately 55% (17 of 31) of the meningiomas examined, but not expressed in non-neoplastic brain samples. The commonplace expression of the ROS1 oncogene in meningiomas suggests a role for this oncogene in the etiology of these tumors.

Specific changes in rasGAP-associated 62 kilodalton protein during integrin mediated cell-substrate interaction.

A cascade of signal transduction events is initiated when cells make contact with each other or with a substrate. The nature of these signal transduction pathways is beginning to be elucidated. In particular, adhesive interactions between cells and their substrate, mediated by cell-surface integrins and extracellular matrix proteins, appears to activate the MAP kinase pathway. Here we show that in mouse fibroblasts and rat epithelial cells, tyrosine phosphorylation of a 62 kilodalton rasGAP-associated protein (GAPa-p62) is decreased upon cell-substrate interaction. Interaction between fibroblasts and various extracellular matrices such as fibronectin, vitronectin and collagen IV, but not laminin, results in tyrosine dephosphorylation of GAPa-p62. Cell-substrate mediated tyrosine dephosphorylation of GAPa-p62 is defective in transformed cell lines, suggesting a possible role for p62 in tumorigenic transformation. These studies suggest that in fibroblasts, and perhaps even in epithelial cells, the signal transduction pathway(s) triggered by different integrin engagement events converge on the rasGAP protein and alter the tyrosine phosphorylation and/or association of GAPa-p62.