Pal, Krishnendu

603 Background: Oncogenic BRAFV600E mutations activate MAP kinase signaling and are associated with treatment resistance and poor prognosis in patients with colorectal cancer (CRC). In BRAFV600E mutant CRCs, treatment failure may be related to BRAFV600E-mediated apoptosis resistance that occurs by an as yet undefined mechanism. Methods: BRAF isogenic RKO CRC cells and RKO, HT29, WiDr cell lines were treated with cobimetinib ± the small molecule MCL-1 inhibitor, A-1210477. Apoptosis was measured by Annexin V staining and caspase cleavage. Gene knockdown or overexpression was achieved by lentivirus; ERK siRNA was utilized. Competitive RT-PCR was performed for MCL-1 mRNA expression. HT-29 cells with control or MCL-1 shRNA were xenografted into SCID mice, treated with cobimetinib or vehicle, and tumor volume was measured. Results: We found that BRAFV600E can upregulate anti-apoptotic MCL-1 in a gene dose-dependent manner using CRC cell lines isogenic for BRAF. BRAFV600E-induced MCL-1 upregulation was confirmed by ectopic BRAFV600E expression that activated MEK/ERK signaling to phosphorylate (MCL-1Thr163) and stabilize MCL-1. Upregulation of MCL-1 was mediated by MEK/ERK shown by ERK siRNA that suppressed MCL-1. Stabilization of MCL-1 by phosphorylation was shown by a phosphorylation-mimicking mutant and an unphosphorylated MCL-1 mutant that decreased or increased MCL-1 protein turnover, respectively.MEK /ERK inhibition by cobimetinib suppressed MCL-1 expression/phosphorylation and induced pro-apoptotic BIM to a greater extent than did vemurafenib in BRAFV600E cell lines. MCL-1 knockdown vs control shRNA significantly enhanced cobimetinib-induced apoptosis in vitro and in HT29 colon cancer xenografts. A-1210477 also enhanced cobimetinib-induced apoptosis in vitrothat was due to disruption of the interaction of MCL-1 with pro-apoptotic BAK and BIM. Knockdown of BIM attenuated BAX, but not BAK, activation by cobimetinib plus A-1210477. Conclusions: BRAFV600E-mediated MEK/ERK activation can upregulate MCL-1 by phosphorylation/stabilization to confer apoptosis resistance that can be reversed by MCL-1 antagonism.

Abstract Tumor metastasis refers to spread of a tumor from site of its origin to distant organs and causes majority of cancer deaths. Although >30 metastasis suppressor genes (MSGs) that negatively regulate metastasis have been identified so far, two issues are poorly understood: first, which MSGs oppose metastasis in a tumor type, and second, which molecular function of MSG controls metastasis. Herein, integrative analyses of tumor-transcriptomes (n = 382), survival data (n = 530) and lymph node metastases (n = 100) in lung cancer patients identified non-metastatic 2 (NME2) as a key MSG from a pool of >30 metastasis suppressors. Subsequently, we generated a promoter-wide binding map for NME2 using chromatin immunoprecipitation with promoter microarrays (ChIP-chip), and transcriptome profiling. We discovered novel targets of NME2 which are involved in focal adhesion signaling. Importantly, we detected binding of NME2 in promoter of focal adhesion factor, vinculin. Reduced expression of NME2 led to enhanced transcription of vinculin. In comparison, NME1, a close homolog of NME2, did not bind to vinculin promoter nor regulate its expression. In line, enhanced metastasis of NME2-depleted lung cancer cells was found in zebrafish and nude mice tumor models. The metastatic potential of NME2-depleted cells was remarkably diminished upon selective RNA-i-mediated silencing of vinculin. Together, we demonstrate that reduced NME2 levels lead to transcriptional de-repression of vinculin and regulate lung cancer metastasis.

Abstract Endoglin, a 180-kDa disulfide-linked homodimeric transmembrane receptor protein mostly expressed in tumor-associated endothelial cells, is an endogenous binding partner of GAIP-interacting protein, C terminus (GIPC). Endoglin functions as a coreceptor of TβRII that binds TGFβ and is important for vascular development, and consequently has become a compelling target for antiangiogenic therapies. A few recent studies in gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST), breast cancer, and ovarian cancer, however, suggest that endoglin is upregulated in tumor cells and is associated with poor prognosis. These findings indicate a broader role of endoglin in tumor biology, beyond angiogenic effects. The goal of our current study is to evaluate the effects of targeting endoglin in pancreatic cancer both in vitro and in vivo. We analyzed the antiproliferative effect of both RNAi-based and peptide ligand-based inhibition of endoglin in pancreatic cancer cell lines, the latter yielding a GIPC PDZ domain-targeting lipopeptide with notable antiproliferative activity. We further demonstrated that endoglin inhibition induced a differentiation phenotype in the pancreatic cancer cells and sensitized them against conventional chemotherapeutic drug gemcitabine. Most importantly, we have demonstrated the antitumor effect of both RNAi-based and competitive inhibitor–based blocking of endoglin in pancreatic cancer xenograft models in vivo. To our knowledge, this is the first report exploring the effect of targeting endoglin in pancreatic cancer cells. Mol Cancer Ther; 13(10); 2264–75. ©2014 AACR.

Abstract Glycogen synthase kinase-3 (GSK-3), a constitutively active serine/threonine kinase, is a key regulator of numerous cellular processes ranging from glycogen metabolism to cell-cycle regulation and proliferation. Consistent with its involvement in many pathways, it has also been implicated in the pathogenesis of various human diseases, including type II diabetes, Alzheimer disease, bipolar disorder, inflammation, and cancer. Consequently, it is recognized as an attractive target for the development of new drugs. In the present study, we investigated the effect of both pharmacologic and genetic inhibition of GSK-3 in two different renal cancer cell lines. We have shown potent antiproliferative activity of 9-ING-41, a maleimide-based GSK-3 inhibitor. The antiproliferative activity is most likely caused by G0–G1 and G2–M phase arrest as evident from cell-cycle analysis. We have established that inhibition of GSK-3 imparted a differentiated phenotype in renal cancer cells. We have also shown that GSK-3 inhibition induced autophagy, likely as a result of imbalanced energy homeostasis caused by impaired glucose metabolism. In addition, we have demonstrated the antitumor activity of 9-ING-41 in two different subcutaneous xenograft renal cell carcinoma tumor models. To our knowledge, this is the first report describing autophagy induction due to GSK-3 inhibition in renal cancer cells. Mol Cancer Ther; 13(2); 285–96. ©2013 AACR.

Abstract VEGF/vascular permeability factor (VEGF/VPF or VEGF-A) is a pivotal driver of cancer angiogenesis that is a central therapeutic target in the treatment of malignancy. However, little work has been devoted to investigating functions of VEGF that are independent of its proangiogenic activity. Here, we report that VEGF produced by tumor cells acts in an autocrine manner to promote cell growth through interaction with the VEGF receptor neuropilin-1 (NRP-1). Reducing VEGF expression by tumor cells induced a differentiated phenotype in vitro and inhibited tumor forming capacity in vivo, independent of effects on angiogenesis. Autocrine activation of tumor cell growth was dependent on signaling through NRP-1, and Ras was determined to be a critical effector signaling molecule downstream of NRP-1. Our findings define a novel function for VEGF in dedifferentiation of tumor cells expanding its role in cancer beyond its known proangiogenic function. Cancer Res; 72(16); 3912–8. ©2012 AACR.

Abstract It is a challenge to develop a universal single drug that can treat breast cancer at single- or multiple-stage complications, yet remains nontoxic to normal cells. The challenge is even greater when breast cancer–specific, estrogen-based drugs are being developed that cannot act against multistaged breast cancer complications owing to the cells differential estrogen receptor (ER) expression status and their possession of drug-resistant and metastatic phenotypes. We report here the development of a first cationic lipid-conjugated estrogenic derivative (ESC8) that kills breast cancer cells independent of their ER expression status. This ESC8 molecule apparently is nontoxic to normal breast epithelial cells, as well as to other noncancer cells. ESC8 induces apoptosis through an intrinsic pathway in ER-negative MDA-MB-231 cells. In addition, ESC8 treatment induces autophagy in these cells by interfering with the mTOR activity. This is the first example of an estrogen structure–based molecule that coinduces apoptosis and autophagy in breast cancer cells. Further in vivo study confirms the role of this molecule in tumor regression. Together, our results open new perspective of breast cancer chemotherapy through a single agent, which could provide the therapeutic benefit across all stages of breast cancer. Mol Cancer Res; 9(3); 364–74. ©2011 AACR.