Showing papers by "Sam W. Lee published in 2007"

Heparin-binding EGF-like growth factor is an early response gene to chemotherapy and contributes to chemotherapy resistance.

Abstract: Heparin-binding EGF-like growth factor is an early response gene to chemotherapy and contributes to chemotherapy resistance

Membrane-bound heparin-binding epidermal growth factor like growth factor regulates E-cadherin expression in pancreatic carcinoma cells.

Abstract: Heparin-binding epidermal growth factor-like growth factor (HB-EGF) is a member of the EGF growth factor family Initially synthesized as a membrane-bound precursor (pro-HB-EGF), it is cleaved at the juxtamembrane domain to release the soluble form of HB-EGF (s-HB-EGF) by sheddases, including matrix metalloproteinases (MMP) and a disintegrin and metalloproteinases This is a process referred to as ectodomain shedding and is implicated in the process of all ligands of the EGF receptor (EGFR) family The tumorigenic potential of s-HB-EGF has been studied extensively; however, the role of pro-HB-EGF in tumor progression is unknown, despite the fact that a considerable amount of pro-HB-EGF remains on the cell membrane Our data here clearly indicated the distinct role of pro-HB-EGF in the regulation of E-cadherin expression and the epithelial-mesenchymal transition We showed here that the expression of pro-HB-EGF was associated with the differentiation status in pancreatic tumors and cell lines Expression of noncleaved pro-HB-EGF in pancreatic cells resulted in the up-regulation of E-cadherin through suppression of ZEB1, which is a transcriptional repressor of E-cadherin Inhibition of HB-EGF shedding using a MMP inhibitor, GM6001, also dramatically augmented the E-cadherin expression while suppressing the EGFR activation Moreover, up-regulation of E-cadherin by pro-HB-EGF not only resulted in cellular morphologic change but also decreased cell motility and enhanced apoptotic sensitivity in response to gemcitabine-erlotinib treatment Collectively, our data defined a distinct role of pro-HB-EGF in the regulation of E-cadherin, suggesting that inhibition of shedding may be a novel approach to suppress pancreatic metastasis and sensitize cells to cancer therapy

Transcriptional targets of p53 that regulate cellular proliferation.

Abstract: In response to various forms of cellular stress, including DNA damage, ribonucleotide depletion, and abnormal proliferative signals, p53 becomes activated as a transcription factor, targeted genes that induce cell-cycle arrest and apoptosis. Eliminating damaged, stressed, or abnormally proliferating cells from the replicating cell population prevents the propagation of potentially cancer-prone cells. Here we focus on the transcriptional targets of p53 that regulate the cell cycle. p53 Induction of G1/ S cell-cycle arrest is largely attributed to the transcriptional upregulation of p21WAF1, and more recently, to the transcriptional repression of c-MYC. The role of p53 in G2/M cell-cycle arrest in response to DNA damage is more complex, involving multiple targets that can generally be considered to impinge upon either the cell cycle (e.g., Cyclin-B, cdc2, cdc25C) or the mitotic machinery (i.e., Topoisomerase II, B99/Gtse-1, and MAP4). The ability of p53 to regulate these two type of gene targets may reflect p53-mediated early versus late events in the G2/M cell-cycle arrest response. Together the information presented illustrates the need for further studies to precisely delineate the nature of G2/M cell-cycle arrest in response to cell stress, and defines the role of p53 in what is likely an important mechanism of tumor suppression.

CDIP, a novel pro‐apoptotic gene, regulates TNFα‐mediated apoptosis in a p53‐dependent manner

Abstract: We have identified a novel pro-apoptotic p53 target gene named CDIP (Cell Death Involved p53-target). Inhibition of CDIP abrogates p53-mediated apoptotic responses, demonstrating that CDIP is an important p53 apoptotic effector. CDIP itself potently induces apoptosis that is associated with caspase-8 cleavage, implicating the extrinsic cell death pathway in apoptosis mediated by CDIP. siRNA-directed knockdown of caspase-8 results in a severe impairment of CDIP-dependent cell death. In investigating the potential involvement of extrinsic cell death pathway in CDIP-mediated apoptosis, we found that TNF-α expression tightly correlates with CDIP expression, and that inhibition of TNF-α signaling attenuates CDIP-dependent apoptosis. We also demonstrate that TNF-α is upregulated in response to p53 and p53 inducing genotoxic stress, in a CDIP-dependent manner. Consistently, knockdown of TNF-α impairs p53-mediated stress-induced apoptosis. Together, these findings support a novel p53 → CDIP → TNF-α apoptotic pathway that directs apoptosis after exposure of cells to genotoxic stress. Thus, CDIP provides a new link between p53-mediated intrinsic and death receptor-mediated extrinsic apoptotic signaling, providing a novel target for cancer therapeutics aimed at maximizing the p53 apoptotic response of cancer cells to drug therapy.

Mammary secreted protein for cancer treatment

Abstract: The invention relates to compositions and methods for treating cancers by administering and detecting, respectively, a mammary secreted protein