Showing papers by "Paraskevi Giannakakou published in 1997"

Raf-1/bcl-2 Phosphorylation: A Step from Microtubule Damage to Cell Death

Abstract: Recent studies have shown that paclitaxel leads to activation of Raf-1 kinase and have suggested that this activation is essential for bcl-2 phosphorylation and apoptosis. In the present study, we demonstrate that, in addition to paclitaxel, other agents that interact with tubulin and microtubules also induce Raf-1/bcl-2 phosphorylation, whereas DNA-damaging drugs, antimetabolites, and alkylating agents do not. Activation of Raf-1 kinase by paclitaxel is linked to tubulin polymerization; the effect is blunted in paclitaxel-resistant cells, the tubulin of which does not polymerize following the addition of paclitaxel. In contrast, vincristine and vinblastine, drugs to which the paclitaxel-resistant cells retain sensitivity were able to bring about Raf-1 phosphorylation. The requirement for disruption of microtubules in this signaling cascade was strengthened further using paclitaxel analogues by demonstrating a correlation between tubulin polymerization, Raf-1/bcl-2 phosphorylation, and cytotoxicity. Inhibition of RNA or protein synthesis prevents Raf-1 activation and bcl-2 phosphorylation, suggesting that an intermediate protein(s) acts upstream of Raf-1 in this microtubule damage-activating pathway. A model is proposed that envisions a pathway of Raf-1 activation and bcl-2 phosphorylation following disruption of microtubular architecture, serving a role similar to p53 induction following DNA damage.

Synthesis of epothilones A and B in solid and solution phase

Abstract: Epothilones A and B, two compounds that have been recently isolated from myxobacterium Sorangium cellulosum strain 90, have generated intense interest among chemists, biologists and clinicians owing to the structural complexity, unusual mechanism of interaction with microtubules and anticancer potential of these molecules. Like taxol, they exhibit cytotoxicity against tumour cells by inducing microtubule assembly and stabilization, even in taxol-resistant cell lines. Following the structural elucidation of these molecules by X-ray crystallography in 1996, several syntheses of epothilones A and B have been reported, indicative of the potential importance of these molecules in the cancer field. Here we report the first solid-phase synthesis of epothilone A, the total synthesis of epothilone B, and the generation of a small epothilone library. The solid-phase synthesis applied here to epothilone A could open up new possibilities in natural-product synthesis and, together with solution-phase synthesis of other epothilones, paves the way for the generation of large combinatorial libraries of these important molecules for biological screening.

The Microtubule-Stabilizing Agent Discodermolide Competitively Inhibits the Binding of Paclitaxel (Taxol) to Tubulin Polymers, Enhances Tubulin Nucleation Reactions More Potently than Paclitaxel, and Inhibits the Growth of Paclitaxel-Resistant Cells

Abstract: The lactone-bearing polyhydroxylated alkatetraene (+)-discodermolide, which was isolated from the sponge Discodermia dissoluta, induces the polymerization of purified tubulin with and without microtubule-associated proteins or GTP, and the polymers formed are stable to cold and calcium. These effects are similar to those of paclitaxel (Taxol), but discodermolide is more potent. We confirmed that these properties represent hypernucleation phenomena; we obtained lower tubulin critical concentrations and shorter polymers with discodermolide than paclitaxel under a variety of reaction conditions. Furthermore, we demonstrated that discodermolide is a competitive inhibitor with [3H]paclitaxel in binding to tubulin polymer, with an apparent Ki value of 0.4 microM. Multidrug-resistant human colon and ovarian carcinoma cells overexpressing P-glycoprotein, which are 900- and 2800-fold resistant to paclitaxel, respectively, relative to the parental lines, retained significant sensitivity to discodermolide (25- and 89-fold more resistant relative to the parental lines). Ovarian carcinoma cells that are 20-30-fold more resistant to paclitaxel than the parental line on the basis of expression of altered beta-tubulin polypeptides retained nearly complete sensitivity to discodermolide. The effects of discodermolide on the reorganization of the microtubules of Potorous tridactylis kidney epithelial cells were examined at different times. Intracellular microtubules were reorganized into bundles in interphase cells much more rapidly after discodermolide treatment compared with paclitaxel treatment. A variety of spindle aberrations were observed after treatment with both drugs. The proportions of the different types of aberration were different for the two drugs and changed with the length of drug treatment.

Correction: Synthesis of epothilones A and B in solid and solution phase

Abstract: Nature 387, 268–272; (1997) We wish to add that, as well as a total synthesis of epothilone B, reference 19 includes biological data for compound 23 and other congeners similar to those reported in our Letter.

Tubulin from paclitaxel-resistant cells as a probe for novel antimicrotubule agents.

Abstract: Purpose: Treatment with paclitaxel (PTX) can lead to the appearance of drug resistance with accompanying changes in tubulin. The purpose of this study was to develop an assay for microtubule-active agents that are able to circumvent changes in tubulin that result in acquired resistance to paclitaxel. Methods: The assay measured the promotion of microtubule polymerization when target agents were added to solutions containing tubulin purified from cultured cells. Tubulin was prepared from PTX-sensitive 1A9 ovarian carcinoma cells and from a PTX-resistant clone. Polymerization was monitored spectrophotometrically and validated by electron microscopy. Results: Exposure of tubulin isolated from PTX-sensitive 1A9 ovarian carcinoma cells to substoichiometric PTX resulted in polymerization equivalent to that observed with brain tubulin. In contrast, tubulin from a PTX-resistant 1A9 clone failed to polymerize under identical conditions. If a C-2-modified analog of PTX (2-debenzoyl-2-(m-azidobenzoyl)paclitaxel) was substituted for PTX in the same experiment, the tubulins from both sensitive and resistant cells polymerized as well as brain tubulin. As predicted from these results, the PTX analog was nearly as cytotoxic to the PTX-resistant cells as it was to the parental cells: the relative resistance of the resistant cells compared to the parental is only 3–5-fold for the PTX analog versus 25–30-fold for PTX. Conclusion: Polymerization of purified tubulin from the paclitaxel-resistant cells provided an assay for agents able to circumvent the tubulin alterations that result in acquired paclitaxel resistance.