Yajun Guo

Down-Regulation of Osteopontin Suppresses Growth and Metastasis of Hepatocellular Carcinoma Via Induction of Apoptosis

BACKGROUND & AIMS Expression of osteopontin correlates with tumor progression and metastasis. The mechanisms by which osteopontin promotes tumor cell survival remain unclear. Here we used short-hairpin RNA-mediated gene silencing to investigate the antitumor effects by osteopontin depletion in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). METHODS We applied polyethylenimine nanoparticles to deliver a short-hairpin RNA for depletion of osteopontin expression in HCC cells. Tumorigenicity and metastatic potentials of HCC cells were studied in vitro and in nude mice. Nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB) activation was analyzed by gel shift assay and luciferase analysis. The expressions of integrins were examined by real-time reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction. Apoptosis was examined by terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated deoxyuridine triphosphate nick-end labeling assay and mitochondrial membrane potential analysis. RESULTS Down-regulation of osteopontin inhibited HCC cell growth, anchorage-independent growth, adhesion with fibronectin and invasion through extracellular matrix in vitro, and suppressed tumorigenicity and lung metastasis in nude mice. Osteopontin silencing resulted in suppression of alphav, beta1, and beta3 integrin expressions, blockade of NF-kappaB activation, inhibition of Bcl-2/Bcl-xL and XIAP expressions, increase of Bax expression, and induction of a mitochondria-mediated apoptosis. Furthermore, down-regulation of osteopontin inhibited drug-induced NF-kappaB activation and sensitized HCC cells to chemotherapeutic agents in vitro, which led to complete regression of HCC xenografts in nude mice. CONCLUSIONS Osteopontin may facilitate tumorigenesis and metastasis through prevention of tumor cells from apoptosis. RNA interference-mediated depletion of osteopontin may be a promising strategy for the treatment of HCC by sensitizing the chemotherapeutic drugs.

A Broadly Flavivirus Cross-Neutralizing Monoclonal Antibody that Recognizes a Novel Epitope within the Fusion Loop of E Protein

Flaviviruses are a group of human pathogenic, enveloped RNA viruses that includes dengue (DENV), yellow fever (YFV), West Nile (WNV), and Japanese encephalitis (JEV) viruses. Cross-reactive antibodies against Flavivirus have been described, but most of them are generally weakly neutralizing. In this study, a novel monoclonal antibody, designated mAb 2A10G6, was determined to have broad cross-reactivity with DENV 1–4, YFV, WNV, JEV, and TBEV. Phage-display biopanning and structure modeling mapped 2A10G6 to a new epitope within the highly conserved flavivirus fusion loop peptide, the 98DRXW101 motif. Moreover, in vitro and in vivo experiments demonstrated that 2A10G6 potently neutralizes DENV 1–4, YFV, and WNV and confers protection from lethal challenge with DENV 1–4 and WNV in murine model. Furthermore, functional studies revealed that 2A10G6 blocks infection at a step after viral attachment. These results define a novel broadly flavivirus cross-reactive mAb with highly neutralizing activity that can be further developed as a therapeutic agent against severe flavivirus infections in humans.

Structural basis for recognition of CD20 by therapeutic antibody Rituximab

Rituximab is a widely used monoclonal antibody drug for treating certain lymphomas and autoimmune diseases. To understand the molecular mechanism of recognition of human CD20 by Rituximab, we determined the crystal structure of the Rituximab Fab in complex with a synthesized peptide comprising the CD20 epitope (residues 163-187) at 2.6-Å resolution. The combining site of the Fab consists of four complementarity determining regions that form a large, deep pocket to accommodate the epitope peptide. The bound peptide assumes a unique cyclic conformation that is constrained by a disulfide bond and a rigid proline residue (Pro172). The 170ANPS173 motif of CD20 is deeply embedded into the pocket on the antibody surface and plays an essential role in the recognition and binding of Rituximab. The antigen-antibody interactions involve both hydrogen bonds and van der Waals contacts and display a high degree of structural and chemical complementarity. These results provide a molecular basis for the specific recognition of CD20 by Rituximab as well as valuable information for development of improved antibody drugs with better specificity and higher affinity.

The fine-tuning of thermosensitive and degradable polymer micelles for enhancing intracellular uptake and drug release in tumors

Focusing on high temperature and low pH of tumor tissue, we prepared temperature and pH responsive poly(N-isopropylacrylamide-co-N,N-dimethylacrylamide-b-lacitde) (PID(118)-b-PLA(59)) and poly(N-isopropylacrylamide-co-N,N-dimethylacrylamide-b-ε-caprolactone) (PID(118)-b-PCL(60)) diblock copolymers with symmetric hydrophobic blocks by the reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT). The corresponding dual functional polymeric micelles were fabricated by dialysis methods. Their well-defined core-shell structure was characterized by (1)H NMR in D(2)O and further confirmed by TEM. Their structural and physical chemistry properties such as diameters (D), core corona dimension (R(core), R(shell)), distribution (PDI), M(w), aggregation number (N(agg)), second virial coefficient (A(2)), critical micellization concentration (CMC) and z-potential were firstly systemically investigated by dynamic and static laser light scattering. The volume phase transition temperature (VPTT) was around 40 °C above which the intracellular uptake of adriamycin (ADR) was significantly enhanced. Both flow cytometry and fluorescent microscopy showed that the ADR transported by these micelles was about 4 times higher than that by the commercial ADR formulation Taxotere®. In vitro cytotoxicity assay against N-87 cancer cell and confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) also confirmed such promoting efficiency. In addition, it was interesting to find that cell surviving bounced back as T = 42 °C due to the inter-micellar aggregation. The well clarified mechanism strongly support that our finely tailored dual functional core-shell micelles are potent in enhancing cellular uptake and drug release.

Targeted Delivery of Tumor Antigens to Activated Dendritic Cells via CD11c Molecules Induces Potent Antitumor Immunity in Mice

Purpose: CD11c is an antigen receptor predominantly expressed on dendritic cells (DC), to which antigen targeting has been shown to induce robust antigen-specific immune responses. To facilitate targeted delivery of tumor antigens to DCs, we generated fusion proteins consisting of the extracellular domain of human HER or its rat homologue neu, fused to the single-chain fragment variable specific for CD11c (scFvCD11c-HER2/neu). Experimental Design: Induction of cellular and humoral immune responses and antitumoral activity of the fusion proteins admixed with DC-activating CpG oligonucleotides (scFvCD11c-HER2/neuCpG) were tested in transplantable HER2/neu-expressing murine tumor models and in transgenic BALB-neuT mice developing spontaneous neu-driven mammary carcinomas. Results: Vaccination of BALB/c mice with scFvCD11c-HER2CpG protected mice from subsequent challenge with HER2-positive, but not HER2-negative, murine breast tumor cells, accompanied by induction of strong HER2-specific T-cell and antibody responses. In a therapeutic setting, injection of scFvCD11c-HER2CpG caused rejection of established HER2-positive tumors. Importantly, antitumoral activity of such a fusion protein vaccine could be reproduced in immunotolerant BALB-neuT mice, where scFvCD11c-neuCpG vaccination significantly protected against a subsequent challenge with neu-expressing murine breast tumor cells and markedly delayed the onset of spontaneous mammary carcinomas. Conclusions: CD11c-targeted protein vaccines for in vivo delivery of tumor antigens to DCs induce potent immune responses and antitumoral activities and provide a rationale for further development of this approach for cancer immunotherapy.

Role of osteopontin in induction of monocyte chemoattractant protein 1 and macrophage inflammatory protein 1β through the NF‐κB and MAPK pathways in rheumatoid arthritis

OBJECTIVE Osteopontin (OPN) is a proinflammatory protein with a critical role in leukocyte migration. Although OPN has been implicated in rheumatoid arthritis (RA), its underlying mechanism remains unknown. In this study, we investigated the role and molecular mechanism of OPN in the induction of 2 key chemokines, monocyte chemoattractant protein 1 (MCP-1) and macrophage inflammatory protein 1beta (MIP-1beta), in RA. METHODS Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and quantitative polymerase chain reaction were used to determine chemokine expression. Leukocyte migration in the presence of OPN was measured by chemotaxis assay. Signaling and molecular events were analyzed by immunoblotting and chromatin immunoprecipitation. RESULTS The effect of OPN on inflammatory cell migration was mediated through its unique property of inducing the expression of MCP-1 and MIP-1beta in CD14+ monocytes. The concentration of OPN was significantly elevated in RA patients and appeared to correlate with the serum levels of inflammation markers and increased expression of MCP-1 or MIP-1beta in monocytes in RA patients. Endogenous production of OPN in RA synovial fluid was attributable to increased production of MCP-1 or MIP-1beta, and this effect could be blocked by an anti-OPN antibody. Furthermore, the structural motif responsible for this property resided within residues 50-83 of human OPN, sparing the known RGD or SVVYGLR sequences. It was evident that the effect of OPN on chemokine expression was mediated through both the NF-kappaB and MAPK pathways, involving the activation of IKKbeta, p38, and JNK. CONCLUSION These results support a unique role of OPN in leukocyte migration, in the context of perpetuation of rheumatoid synovitis through the induction of MCP-1 and MIP-1beta.

Characterization of a rituximab variant with potent antitumor activity against rituximab-resistant B-cell lymphoma.

Despite widespread use of the anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody (mAb), rituximab, in treating B-cell lymphomas, its efficacy remains variable and often modest. A better understanding of rituximab-mediated killing mechanisms is essential to develop more effective therapeutic agents. In this study, we modulated the binding property of rituximab by introducing several point mutations in its complementarity-determining regions. The data showed that changing the binding avidity of rituximab in the range from 10(-8) to 10(-10) M could regulate its antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity but not affect its complement-dependent cytotoxicity and apoptosis-inducing activity in B-lymphoma cells. Contradictory to previous findings, we found that the complement-dependent cytotoxicity potency of CD20 mAb was independent of the off-rate. Despite still being a type I CD20 mAb, a rituximab triple mutant (H57DE/H102YK/L93NR), which had a similar binding avidity to a double mutant (H57DE/H102YK), was unexpectedly found to have extremely potent apoptosis-inducing activity. Moreover, this triple mutant, which was demonstrated to efficiently initiate both caspase-dependent and -independent apoptosis, exhibited potent in vivo therapeutic efficacy, even in the rituximab-resistant lymphoma model, suggesting that it might be a promising therapeutic agent for B-cell lymphomas.

Epigenetic silence of ankyrin‐repeat–containing, SH3‐domain–containing, and proline‐rich‐region– containing protein 1 (ASPP1) and ASPP2 genes promotes tumor growth in hepatitis B virus–positive hepatocellular carcinoma

The ankyrin‐repeat–containing, SH3‐domain–containing, and proline‐rich‐region–containing protein (ASPP) family of proteins regulates apoptosis through interaction with p53 and its family members. This study evaluated the epigenetic regulation of ASPP1 and ASPP2 in hepatitis B virus (HBV)‐positive hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and explores the effects of down‐regulation of ASPP1 and ASPP2 on the development of HCC. HCC cell lines and tissues from HCC patients were used to examine the expression and methylation of ASPP1 and ASPP2. The expression of ASPP1 and ASPP2 was diminished in HCC cells by epigenetic silence owing to hypermethylation of ASPP1 and ASPP2 promoters. Analyses of 51 paired HCC and surrounding nontumor tissues revealed that methylation of ASPP1 and ASPP2 was associated with the decreased expression of ASPP1 and ASPP2 in tumor tissues and the early development of HCC. Moreover, ASPP2 became methylated upon HBV x protein (HBx) expression. The suppressive effects on tumor growth by ASPP1 and ASPP2 were examined with RNA interference‐mediated gene silence. Down‐regulation of ASPP1 and ASPP2 promoted the growth of HCC cells in soft agar and in nude mice and decreased the sensitivity of HCC cells to apoptotic stimuli. Conclusion: ASPP1 and ASPP2 genes are frequently down‐regulated by DNA methylation in HBV‐positive HCC, which may play important roles in the development of HCC. These findings provide new insight into the molecular mechanisms leading to hepatocarcinogenesis and may have potent therapeutic applications. (HEPATOLOGY 2010;51:142–153.)

Comparison of the inhibition mechanisms of Adalimumab and Infliximab in treating tumor necrosis factor α-associated diseases from a molecular view.

Background: The epitope and the TNFα inhabitation mechanism of Adalimumab remain unclear. Results: The crystal structure of the TNFα in complex with Adalimumab is reported at a resolution of 3.1 Å. Conclusion: The epitope of Adalimumab provided information that Adalimumab may have clinical advantage compared with Infliximab. Significance: These data reveal the Adalimumabs mechanism of TNFα inhibition and its advantages compared with other TNF inhibitors in clinical practice. TNFα-targeting therapy with the use of the drugs Etanercept, Infliximab, and Adalimumab is used in the clinical treatment of various inflammatory and immune diseases. Although all of these reagents function to disrupt the interaction between TNFα and its receptors, clinical investigations showed the advantages of Adalimumab treatment compared with Etanercept and Infliximab. However, the underlying molecular mechanism of action of Adalimumab remains unclear. In our previous work, we presented structural data on how Infliximab binds with the E-F loop of TNFα and functions as a TNFα receptor-binding blocker. To further elucidate the variations between TNFα inhibitors, we solved the crystal structure of TNFα in complex with Adalimumab Fab. The structural observation and the mutagenesis analysis provided direct evidence for identifying the Adalimumab epitope on TNFα and revealed the mechanism of Adalimumab inhibition of TNFα by occupying the TNFα receptor-binding site. The larger antigen-antibody interface in TNFα Adalimumab also provided information at a molecular level for further understanding the clinical advantages of Adalimumab therapy compared with Infliximab.

Development of Novel Tetravalent Anti-CD20 Antibodies with Potent Antitumor Activity

Despite the effectiveness of the anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody (mAb) Rituximab (C2B8) in the treatment of B-cell lymphoma, its efficacy remains variable and often modest. It seems likely that a combination of multiple mechanisms, such as complement-dependent cytotoxicity (CDC) and apoptotic signaling, underlies the therapeutic success of anti-CD20 mAbs. Unfortunately, all the current anti-CD20 mAbs effective in CDC are relatively inactive in signaling cell death and vice versa. In this study, we developed two genetically engineered tetravalent antibodies (TetraMcAb) respectively derived from the anti-CD20 mAbs C2B8 and 2F2. TetraMcAbs, with a molecular mass only 25 kDa higher than native divalent antibodies (DiMcAb), were shown not only to be as effective in mediating CDC and antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity against B-lymphoma cells as DiMcAbs but also to have antiproliferative and apoptosis-inducing activity markedly superior to that of DiMcAbs. Interestingly, whereas 2F2 and C2B8 were equally effective in inducing cell growth arrest and apoptosis, the functions of their tetravalent versions, 2F2(ScFvHL)(4)-Fc and C2B8(ScFvHL)(4)-Fc, were significantly different. 2F2(ScFvHL)(4)-Fc exhibited exceptionally more potent antiproliferative and apoptosis-inducing activity than that of C2B8(ScFvHL)(4)-Fc. Immunotherapeutic studies further showed that 2F2(ScFvHL)(4)-Fc was far more effective in prolonging the survival of severe combined immunodeficient mice bearing systemic Daudi or Raji tumors than C2B8, 2F2, and C2B8(ScFvHL)(4)-Fc, suggesting that it might be a promising therapeutic agent for B-cell lymphoma.