Showing papers by "Constantinos Koumenis published in 2008"

The chemopreventive agent curcumin is a potent radiosensitizer of human cervical tumor cells via increased reactive oxygen species production and overactivation of the mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway.

Abstract: Cervical cancer is the second most common malignancy among women worldwide and is highly radioresistant, often resulting in local treatment failure. For locally advanced disease, radiation is combined with low-dose chemotherapy; however, this modality often leads to severe toxicity. Curcumin, a polyphenol extracted from rhizomes of the plant Curcuma longa, is a widely studied chemopreventive agent that was shown to have a low toxicity profile in three human clinical trials. Here, we show that pretreatment of two cervical carcinoma cell lines, HeLa and SiHa, with curcumin before ionizing radiation (IR) resulted in significant dose-dependent radiosensitization of these cells. It is noteworthy that curcumin failed to radiosensitize normal human diploid fibroblasts. Although in tumor cells, curcumin did not significantly affect IR-induced activation of AKT and nuclear factor-kappaB, we found that it caused a significant increase in the production of reactive oxygen species, which further led to sustained extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) 1/2 activation. The antioxidant compound N-acetylcysteine blocked the curcumin-induced increased reactive oxygen species (ROS), sustained activation of ERK1/2, and decreased survival after IR in HeLa cells, implicating a ROS-dependent mechanism for curcumin radiosensitivity. Moreover, PD98059 (2'-amino-3'-methoxyflavone)-, PD184352- [2-(2-chloro-4-iodo-phenylamino)-N-cyclopropylmethoxy-3,4-difluoro-benzamide], and U0126 [1,4-diamino-2,3-dicyano-1,4-bis(2-aminophynylthio)butadiene]-specific inhibitors of mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase 1/2 (MEK1/2) blocked curcumin-mediated radiosensitization, demonstrating that the sustained ERK1/2 activation resulting from ROS generation leads to curcumin-mediated radiosensitization. Together, these results suggest a novel mechanism for curcumin-mediated radiosensitization involving increased ROS and ERK1/2 activation and suggest that curcumin application (either systemically or topically) may be an effective radiation modifying modality in the treatment of cervical cancer.

Preferential Cytotoxicity of Bortezomib toward Hypoxic Tumor Cells via Overactivation of Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress Pathways

Abstract: Hypoxia is a dynamic feature of the tumor microenvironment that contributes to drug resistance and cancer progression. We previously showed that components of the unfolded protein response (UPR), elicited by endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, are also activated by hypoxia in vitro and in vivo animal and human patient tumors. Here, we report that ER stressors, such as thapsigargin or the clinically used proteasome inhibitor bortezomib, exhibit significantly higher cytotoxicity toward hypoxic compared with normoxic tumor cells, which is accompanied by enhanced activation of UPR effectors in vitro and UPR reporter activity in vivo. Treatment of cells with the translation inhibitor cycloheximide, which relieves ER load, ameliorated this enhanced cytotoxicity, indicating that the increased cytotoxicity is ER stress-dependent. The mode of cell death was cell type-dependent, because DLD1 colorectal carcinoma cells exhibited enhanced apoptosis, whereas HeLa cervical carcinoma cells activated autophagy, blocked apoptosis, and eventually led to necrosis. Pharmacologic or genetic ablation of autophagy increased the levels of apoptosis. These results show that hypoxic tumor cells, which are generally more resistant to genotoxic agents, are hypersensitive to proteasome inhibitors and suggest that combining bortezomib with therapies that target the normoxic fraction of human tumors can lead to more effective tumor control.

19-nor-1α,25-Dihydroxyvitamin D2 (Paricalcitol) inhibits the proliferation of human pancreatic cancer cells in vitro and in vivo

Abstract: 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D(3), (1,25(OH)(2)D(3); calcitriol), the hormonal form of vitamin D, exerts growth-inhibitory, pro-apoptotic and anti-metastatic effects on tumor cells in vitro and in vivo but its clinical use is limited by its calcemic effects. Previous studies have shown that the antiproliferative effects of the less calcemic calcitriol analog 19-nor-1,25-(OH)(2)D(2) (paricalcitol) on prostate tumor cell lines are indistinguishable from those of 1,25(OH)(2)D(3). We therefore investigated the anti-proliferative effects of paricalcitol on the growth of pancreatic tumor cell lines in vitro and in vivo. Both 1,25(OH)(2)D(3) and paricalcitol inhibited the growth of BxPC-3, Hs700T and AsPC-1 lines in a dose-dependent manner. This antiproliferative activity correlated with upregulation of the cell cycle inhibitors p21 (Waf1/CIP1) and p27(Kip1). A fourth pancreatic cell line, Hs766T was unresponsive to both paricalcitol and calcitriol. Hs766T cells also failed to upregulate p21/Waf-1/Cip1 or p27/KiP in response to treatments with these agents. Paricalcitol, given three times per week inhibited the growth of AsPC-1 pancreatic tumor cell xenografts in nude mice at a dose that did not cause hypercalcaemia. Tumor inhibition was accompanied by in vivo upregulation of p21 and p27 expression. Given the few therapeutic options for patients with pancreatic cancer, further exploration of paricalcitol, an FDA-approved medication, is warranted.

PERK-dependent regulation of MDA-7/IL-24-induced autophagy in primary human glioma cells.

Abstract: Melanoma differentiation associated gene-7/interleukin 24 (mda-7/IL-24) is a novel cytokine displaying selective apoptosis-inducing activity in transformed cells without harming normal cells. The studies by Yacoub et al. (Mol Cancer Ther 2008; 7:314-29) further defines the mechanism(s) by which a GST-MDA-7 fusion protein inhibits cell survival of primary human glioma cells in vitro. GST-MDA-7 killed glioma cells with diverse genetic characteristics that were dependent on activation of JNK1-3 with subsequent activation of BAX and the induction of mitochondrial dysfunction. Activation of JNK1-3 was dependent upon protein kinase R-like endoplasmic reticulum kinase (PERK) and GST-MDA-7 lethality was suppressed in PERK(-/-) cells. GST-MDA-7 caused PERK-dependent vacuolization of LC3-expressing endosomes whose formation was suppressed by incubation with 3-methyladenine, expression of HSP70 or of BiP/GRP78, or by knockdown of ATG5 or Beclin 1 expression, but not by inhibition of the JNK1-3 pathway. Knockdown of ATG5 or Beclin 1 expression or overexpression of HSP70 reduced GST-MDA-7 lethality. Our data demonstrate that GST-MDA-7 induces an ER stress response that, via the induction of autophagy, is causal in the activation of pro-apoptotic pathways that converge on the mitochondrion and ultimately culminate in decreased glioma cell survival.

PERK-dependent regulation of HSP70 expression and the regulation of autophagy

Abstract: The manuscript by Park et al. (Mol. Pharm. 2008; mol.107.042697 / PMID: 18182481) further defines the mechanism(s) by which OSU-03012 (OSU) kills transformed cells. It notes that in PKR-like endoplasmic reticulum kinase null cells (PERK-/-) the lethality of OSU is attenuated. OSU enhances the expression of ATG5 in a PERK-dependent fashion and promotes the ATG5-dependent formation of vesicles containing LC3, followed by a subsequent cleavage of cathepsin B and a cathepsin B-dependent formation of low pH intracellular vesicles; cathepsin B is activated and released into the cytosol, and genetic suppression of cathepsin B or AIF function significantly suppresses cell killing. In parallel, OSU causes PERK-dependent increases in HSP70 expression and decreases in HSP90 and Grp78/BiP expression. Inhibition of HSP70 expression enhances OSU toxicity and over-expression of HSP70 suppresses OSU-induced low pH vesicle formation and lethality. Thus, in this system PERK signaling promotes autophagy, which is causally linked to lysosomal dysfunction, cathepsin activation and cell death. However, in parallel, PERK signaling acts to suppress autophagy and lysosomal dysfunction by increasing the expression of HSP70. These findings may help explain why, in a cell type and stimulus-dependent fashion; autophagy has been noted to act either as a protective or as a toxic signal in cells.

Disruption of crosstalk between the fatty acid synthesis and proteasome pathways enhances unfolded protein response signaling and cell death

Abstract: Fatty acid synthase (FASN) is the terminal enzyme responsible for fatty acid synthesis and is up-regulated in tumors of various origins to facilitate their growth and progression. Because of several reports linking the FASN and proteasome pathways, we asked whether FASN inhibitors could combine with bortezomib, the Food and Drug Administration-approved proteasome inhibitor, to amplify cell death. Indeed, bortezomib treatment augmented suboptimal FASN inhibitor concentrations to reduce clonogenic survival, which was paralleled by an increase in apoptotic markers. Interestingly, FASN inhibitors induced accumulation of ubiquinated proteins and enhanced the effects of bortezomib treatment. In turn, bortezomib increased fatty acid synthesis, suggesting crosstalk between the pathways. We hypothesized that cell death resulting from crosstalk perturbation was mediated by increased unfolded protein response (UPR) signaling. Indeed, disruption of crosstalk activated and saturated the adaptation arm of UPR signaling, including eIF2α phosphorylation, activating transcription factor 4 expression, and X-box-binding protein 1 splicing. Furthermore, although single agents did not activate the alarm phase of the UPR, crosstalk interruption resulted in activated c-Jun NH2-terminal kinase and C/EBP homologous protein-dependent cell death. Combined, the data support the concept that the UPR balance between adaptive to stress signaling can be exploited to mediate increased cell death and suggests novel applications of FASN inhibitors for clinical use. [Mol Cancer Ther 2008;7(12):3816–24]

Novel Compounds for Treatment of Malignant Tumors

Abstract: The present invention comprises compounds, compositions and methods of use for sensitizing cancer cells, tumors, neoplasms, and malignancies to the effects of ionizing radiation used in the treatment of cancer. The invention further comprises a method of identifying novel radiosensitizing compounds.

Compounds for treatment of malignant tumors

Abstract: The present invention comprises compounds, compositions and methods of use for sensitizing cancer cells, tumors, neoplasms, and malignancies to the effects of ionizing radiation used in the treatment of cancer. The invention further comprises a method of identifying novel radiosensitizing compounds.