Yung-Fu Chang

The effect of hydroxyurea in spinal muscular atrophy cells and patients

BACKGROUND Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is a degenerative motor neuron disease caused by homozygous mutations of the survival motor neuron 1 (SMN1) gene. Effective treatment for SMA is unavailable at present. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of hydroxyurea (HU) in SMA cells and patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS Fifteen SMA lymphoid and three fibroblast cell lines, 2 from SMA patients and 1 control, were treated with HU at different concentrations, and 33 patients (types II, III) randomized into three groups on different HU dosage, 20, 30, 40 mg/kg/day, were treated for 8 weeks and followed up for another drug-free 8 weeks. The effect of HU on SMN2 gene expression and clinical manifestations was evaluated. RESULTS After treatment, in vitro, full-length mRNA level and gems number increased significantly, and hnRNP A1 protein decreased. In vivo, there were slight increases in muscle strength scores at 4 weeks and full-length SMN mRNA at 8 weeks in 30 mg/kg/day subgroup. CONCLUSIONS Treating with HU enhanced SMN2 gene expression in SMA cells and showed slight trend towards improvement in some clinical outcome measures in SMA patients which suggests HU may be safe to use in SMA patients but larger randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind trials are needed to further investigate its efficacy.

The viral death protein Apoptin interacts with Hippi, the protein interactor of Huntingtin-interacting protein 1.

Apoptin, a chicken anemia virus-encoded protein, induces apoptosis in human tumor cells but not in normal cells. The tumor-specific activity of Apoptin is correlated with its nuclear localization in tumor cells. In an attempt to elucidate the molecular mechanism of Apoptin-induced apoptosis, we identified human Hippi, the protein interactor and apoptosis co-mediator of Huntingtin interacting protein 1, as one of the Apoptin-associated proteins by yeast two-hybrid screen. We also demonstrated that Hippi could interact with Apoptin both in vitro and in human cells. Furthermore, subcellular localization studies showed that Hippi and Apoptin perfectly colocalized in the cytoplasm of normal human HEL cells, whereas in cancerous HeLa cells most Apoptin and Hippi were located separately in the nucleus and cytoplasm and, thus, showed only a modest colocalization. Mapping studies indicate that Hippi binds within the self-multimerization domain of Apoptin, and Apoptin binds to the C-terminal half of Hippi, including its death effector domain-like motif. Our results suggest that the Apoptin-Hippi interaction may play a role in the suppression of apoptosis in normal cells.

Quantification of SMN1 and SMN2 genes by capillary electrophoresis for diagnosis of spinal muscular atrophy

We present the first CE method for the separation and quantification of SMN1 and SMN2 genes. Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is an inherited neuromuscular disorder deleted or mutated in SMN1 gene and retained at least one copy of SMN2 gene. However, these two genes are highly homologous, differentiation and quantification of SMN1 and SMN2 are therefore required in diagnosis to identify SMA patients and carriers. We developed a fluorescence‐labeled conformation‐sensitive CE method to quantitatively analyze PCR products covering the variable position in the SMN1/SMN2 genes using a copolymer solution composed of hydroxyethylcellulose and hydroxypropylcellulose. The DNA samples included 24 SMA patients, 52 parents of SMA patients (obligatory carriers), and 255 controls. Those 331 samples were blind analyzed to evaluate the method, and the results compared with those obtained using denaturing HPLC (DHPLC). Validation of accuracy was performed by comparing the results with those of DHPLC. Nine of total samples showed different results. Diagnosis of one fetus DNA among them was related to abortion or not, which was further confirmed by gel electrophoresis and DNA sequencing. Our method showed good coincidence with them, and proved the misdiagnosis of DHPLC. This simple and reliable CE method is a powerful tool for clinical genotyping of large populations to detect carriers and SMA patients.

Inhibition of the Epstein-Barr virus lytic cycle by moronic acid.

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) expresses two transcription factors, Rta and Zta, during the immediate-early stage of the lytic cycle to activate the transcription of viral lytic genes. Our immunoblotting and flow cytometry analyses find that moronic acid, found in galls of Rhus chinensis and Brazilian propolis, at 10microM inhibits the expression of Rta, Zta, and an EBV early protein, EA-D, after lytic induction with sodium butyrate. This study also finds that moronic acids inhibits the capacity of Rta to activate a promoter that contains an Rta-response element, indicating that moronic acid interferes with the function of Rta. On the other hand, moronic acid does not appear to influence with the transactivation function of Zta. Therefore, the lack of expression of Zta and EA-D after moronic acid treatment is attributable to the inhibition of the transactivation functions of Rta. Because the expression of Zta, EA-D and many EBV lytic genes depends on Rta, the treatment of P3HR1 cells with moronic acid substantially reduces the numbers of EBV particles produced by the cells after lytic induction. This study suggests that moronic acid is a new structural lead for anti-EBV drug development.

Brefeldin A Effectively Inhibits Cancer Stem Cell-Like Properties and MMP-9 Activity in Human Colorectal Cancer Colo 205 Cells

Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are a small subset of cancer cells with indefinite potential for self-renewal and the capacity to drive tumorigenesis. Brefeldin A (BFA) is an antibiotic that is known to block protein transport and induce endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress in eukaryotic cells, but its effects on colorectal CSCs are unknown. We investigated the inhibitory effect of BFA on human colorectal cancer Colo 205 cells. We found that BFA effectively reduced the survival of suspension Colo 205 cells (IC50 = ~15 ng/mL) by inducing apoptosis, and inhibited the clonogenic activity of Colo 205 CSCs in tumorsphere formation assay and soft agar colony formation assay in the same nanogram per milliliter range. We also discovered that at such low concentrations, BFA effectively induced endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress response as indicated by the increased mRNA expression of ER stress-related genes, such as glucose-regulated protein 78 (GRP78), X-box binding protein 1 (XBP1), and C/EBP homologous protein (CHOP). Finally, we found that BFA reduced the activity of matrix metallopeptidase 9 (MMP-9). These findings suggest that BFA can effectively suppress the progression of colorectal cancer during the tumorigenesis and metastasis stages. These results may lead to the development of novel therapies for the treatment of colorectal cancer.

A preliminary report on the toxicity of arecoline on early pregnancy in mice.

Areca nut (Areca catechu) is chewed by roughly 10% of the world population, including India, Taiwan and parts of China. Lower mean birth-weight and higher neonatal jaundice were reported in the babies of betel chewing pregnant women in 1982. Although areca nut chewing during pregnancy has been associated with lower birth weight and premature delivery, the mechanism of such complications is not entirely understood. A possible contributor, arecoline, a major alkaloid in the areca nut, has been reported to be cytotoxic and genotoxic. To determine the influence of arecoline on reproduction, we study the effects of arecoline on embryos during peri-implantation stages in mice. Mice consuming varying dosages of arecoline were checked for their ability to successfully produce viable embryos. In addition, trophoblast outgrowth from mice blastocysts was evaluated the survival status of the embryos. Our investigation revealed that arecoline decreased the number of implanted embryos in early pregnant mice. In addition, trophoblast outgrowth expansion of blastocysts was also inhibited by arecoline. These observations suggest that arecoline is toxic to mouse embryos as early as peri-implantation. Improved understanding of the effects of arecoline during embryogenesis may help to establish public health policies and to develop potential treatments for such patients.

Muscle developmental defects in heterogeneous nuclear Ribonucleoprotein A1 knockout mice

Heterogeneous ribonucleoprotein A1 (hnRNP A1) is crucial for regulating alternative splicing. Its integrated function within an organism has not, however, been identified. We generated hnRNP A1 knockout mice to study the role of hnRNP A1 in vivo. The knockout mice, hnRNP A1−/−, showed embryonic lethality because of muscle developmental defects. The blood pressure and heart rate of the heterozygous mice were higher than those of the wild-type mice, indicating heart function defects. We performed mouse exon arrays to study the muscle development mechanism. The processes regulated by hnRNP A1 included cell adhesion and muscle contraction. The expression levels of muscle development-related genes in hnRNP A1+/− mice were significantly different from those in wild-type mice, as detected using qRT-PCR. We further confirmed the alternative splicing patterns of muscle development-related genes including mef2c, lrrfip1, usp28 and abcc9. Alternative mRNA isoforms of these genes were increased in hnRNP A1+/− mice compared with wild-type mice. Furthermore, we revealed that the functionally similar hnRNP A2/B1 did not compensate for the expression of hnRNP A1 in organisms. In summary, our study demonstrated that hnRNP A1 plays a critical and irreplaceable role in embryonic muscle development by regulating the expression and alternative splicing of muscle-related genes.

Arecoline inhibits and destabilizes agrin-induced acetylcholine receptor cluster formation in C2C12 myotubes

Areca nut (Areca catechu) is chewed as a medical and psychoactive food by roughly 10% of the world population. Areca nut chewing may lead to low birth weight, premature delivery and impaired muscle development. Our previous study showed that arecoline, a major alkaloid in the areca nut, inhibited the myogenic differentiation of C2C12 myoblastic cells. The clustering of acetylcholine receptors (AChRs) in the postsynaptic membrane at the neuromuscular junction (NMJ) by agrin, a signaling protein released by motor neurons, is critical for the development of functional muscles. Here, we further investigate whether arecoline affects the AChR clustering using cultured C2C12 myotubes. Rhodamine-conjugated α-bungarotoxin was used to detect the presence of AChR clusters. Our results showed that arecoline inhibited the formation of agrin-induced AChR clusters and destabilized agrin-induced or spontaneous AChR cluster formation. In addition, arecoline inhibited the expression of myogenin in C2C12 myotubes. These results shed light on the important role of arecoline on the detrimental effect of areca nut to muscle development.

Arecoline inhibits myogenic differentiation of C2C12 myoblasts by reducing STAT3 phosphorylation

Areca nut (Areca catechu) is chewed regularly as a medical and psychoactive food by about 10% of the world population, in countries including India, Taiwan and parts of Southern Asia. Areca nut chewing during pregnancy has been associated with both lower birth weight and premature birth. Animals of low birth weights showed retardation of muscle development. Our previous study showed that arecoline, the major areca alkaloid, decreased the number of implanted embryos. Here we sought to determine the effects of arecoline in myogenic differentiation by in vitro assays using C2C12 myoblast cells. The results showed that arecoline higher than 0.4mM significantly increased apoptosis and decreased viability of C2C12 cells. Morphometric measurements of myotube formation and analyses of myogenic markers, myosin heavy chain and myogenin, revealed that myogenic differentiation was inhibited by 0.04-0.08 mM arecoline. Moreover, phosphorylated but not total STAT3 was significantly inhibited by arecoline during myotube formation. These results indicate that arecoline inhibits the myogenic differentiation of C2C12 cells by reducing the activation of STAT3, an upstream regulator of myogenesis. Improved understanding of the effects of arecoline during myogenic differentiation may help to establish public health policies and to develop potential treatments for such patients.

Agrin induces association of Chrna1 mRNA and nicotinic acetylcholine receptor in C2C12 myotubes

AChR alpha 1 physically interacts with Stau1 by pull down (View interaction)