Enhanced Gene Delivery and Expression in Human Hepatocellular Carcinoma Cells by Cationic Immunoliposomes

Abstract

A targeted vector allowing enhanced gene transfer to human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC¹) cells in vitro was developed using cationic liposomes covalently conjugated with the mAb AF-20. This high affinity antibody recognizes a rapidly internalized 180 kDa cell surface glycoprotein which is abundantly expressed on the surface of human HCC and other cancer cells. Quantitative binding analysis of liposomes with target cells by flow cytometry showed specific association of mAb-targeted liposomes with human HCC cells. Using mAb-targeted cationic liposomes containing 20% DOTAP, in the presence or absence of serum, gene expression in HuH-7 cells was enhanced up to 40-fold as compared to liposomes conjugated with an isotype-matched non-relevant control antibody. Transfection specificity was not observed in a control cell line that does not express the antigen recognized by mAb AF-20. This study demonstrates that cationic liposome formulations can be targeted with monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) to enhance specific in vitro gene delivery and expression in the presence or absence of serum.     

Breast Carcinoma With Osteoclast-Like Giant Cells

The cytological and histological findings of a case of breast carcinoma with osteoclast-like giant cells are presented. A fine needle aspiration specimen demonstrated the characteristic combination of malignant epithelium and reactive multinucleated cells and enabled identification of this rare variant of breast cancer. Immunocytochemical studies using the monoclonal antibody KP1[CD68] support a histiocytic origin for the osteoclast-like cells.     

Human Breast Tumor Cells Are More Resistant to Cardiac Glycoside Toxicity Than Non-Tumorigenic Breast Cells

Cardiotonic steroids (CTS), specific inhibitors of Na,K-ATPase activity, have been widely used for treating cardiac insufficiency. Recent studies suggest that low levels of endogenous CTS do not inhibit Na,K-ATPase activity but play a role in regulating blood pressure, inducing cellular kinase activity, and promoting cell viability. Higher CTS concentrations inhibit Na,K-ATPase activity and can induce reactive oxygen species, growth arrest, and cell death. CTS are being considered as potential novel therapies in cancer treatment, as they have been shown to limit tumor cell growth. However, there is a lack of information on the relative toxicity of tumor cells and comparable non-tumor cells. We have investigated the effects of CTS compounds, ouabain, digitoxin, and bufalin, on cell growth and survival in cell lines exhibiting the full spectrum of non-cancerous to malignant phenotypes. We show that CTS inhibit membrane Na,K-ATPase activity equally well in all cell lines tested regardless of metastatic potential. In contrast, the cellular responses to the drugs are different in non-tumor and tumor cells. Ouabain causes greater inhibition of proliferation and more extensive apoptosis in non-tumor breast cells compared to malignant or oncogene-transfected cells. In tumor cells, the effects of ouabain are accompanied by activation of anti-apoptotic ERK1/2. However, ERK1/2 or Src inhibition does not sensitize tumor cells to CTS cytotoxicity, suggesting that other mechanisms provide protection to the tumor cells. Reduced CTS-sensitivity in breast tumor cells compared to non-tumor cells indicates that CTS are not good candidates as cancer therapies.     

AFM对人乳腺癌细胞外纤连蛋白原纤维的形态学观察

探讨原子力显微镜在研究细胞和细胞外基质间的相互作用及细胞外基质的功能等方面的应用前景。应用原子力显微镜观察培养的人乳腺癌MCF 7 R细胞分泌的纤连蛋白原纤维的分布和排列规律 ,并与其他常规观察技术进行比较。应用原子力显微镜获得了多个乳腺癌细胞和细胞外纤连蛋白原纤维的整体和局部形貌图像 ,发现这些原纤维的分布和排列方式非常有规律 ,而且这些规律与其功能相适应。由于样品制备简单和分辨率较高等优点 ,原子力显微镜较适合于细胞外基质的原位观察     

On Stem Cells in the Human Breast

In the human breast, stem cells give rise to myoepithelial and luminal epithelial cells that are needed during monthly estrous cycles and lactation. The mechanisms that govern mammary stem cells are hotly debated.Petersen and Polyak (2011) elegantly explain the developmental hierarchy of the human mammary gland as it is currently understood. It is amazing that the small pool of stem cells can be cyclically called on to give rise to the progenitors and more differentiated myoepithelial and luminal epithelial cells that are needed for expansion during monthly estrous cycles and in preparation for lactation. How do the stem cells respond so perfectly and repetitively throughout a woman’s childbearing years? Do stem cells harbor internal circadian clocks that work in time with similar clocks in the endocrine system and ovaries? Or are mammary stem cells able to respond to shifting physiological needs of the organism because their functions are controlled by their microenvironment, which changes with the ebb and flow of the physiological tide? That estrous cycles can vary according to life’s circumstances (e.g., changes in nutrition, exercise, or stress) and because lengths of pregnancies and lactation periods differ for each pregnancy, it seems likely that mammary stem cells are governed by an external control mechanism that interacts with systemic changes in physiology.That stem cells and all of their progeny share identical genomes, and that stem cells reside inside niche microenvironments that are completely unique as compared to those of the surrounding tissue, suggests that microenvironments exert a tremendous influence over stem cell behavior. Even mathematical models of hematopoiesis suggested that stem cell-extrinsic regulation was the best way to explain why stem cells responded to a wide variety of physiological needs (Loeffler and Roeder 2002; Roeder and Lorenz 2006). Experimentally, microenvironmental control of mammary progenitors, hematopoietic stem cells, embryonic stem cells, and neural progenitors has been shown by use of functional assays on arrayed combinatorial microenvironments (Flaim et al. 2005; Soen et al. 2006; LaBarge et al. 2009; Lutolf et al. 2009). And perhaps the grandest demonstration of the power of the microenvironment over stem cell function was shown repeatedly when adult stem cells from one tissue were shown to give rise to other tissues after they were placed in tissue-specific microenvironments different from their native ones (Blau et al. 2001; Boulanger et al. 2007; Booth et al. 2008). An important likelihood that arises from those experiments is that the phenotype of a stem cell is probably affected by its microenvironment (LaBarge et al. 2007). To completely understand the identity and control of mammary stem cells, we must meticulously define the microenvironment(s) they inhabit.As Petersen and Polyak point out, the methodology used to describe the stem cell hierarchy in adult hematopoietic systems has guided many subsequent studies aimed at identifying hierarchies in epithelial tissues. Accordingly, tissues are dissociated into suspensions of single cells, fractionated with a cell sorting technology, and the fractions are assayed for stem cell activity in a number of culture assays and in vivo when possible. Demonstration that a single cell can give rise to the tissue in question is often referred to as the “gold standard” experiment, and it is an unfortunate burden of proof held over from the hematopoietic field. Blood is an interesting tissue in that centers for hematopoiesis shift throughout development among locations that are anatomically close to the circulation, and it is thought that in adults, blood is produced from niches in marrow and vasculature (Sacchetti et al. 2007; Hooper et al. 2009; Butler et al. 2010). Thus, it makes sense that a single hematopoietic stem cell should regenerate the blood as nothing more is being asked of it than to do exactly what it was meant to, and to do it in the perfect microenvironment. Moreover, in the hematopoiesis model, where the microenvironment was essentially perfect, it stands to reason that one would only observe different activities according to the fraction from which single cells were derived. These facts may help explain why it has taken so long for acceptance of the idea that microenvironments can control stem cell activity. By comparison, adult mammary epithelial stem cells are distinct from the neonatal stem cells that made the initial mammary rudiment, and the adult stem cells evolved within an intricate epithelial architecture that was within a tissue stroma. That a single mouse mammary stem cell could give rise to an outgrowth was shown to occur at very low frequency (Shackleton et al. 2006; Stingl et al. 2006), and it has yet to be shown that a single normal human mammary stem cell can generate an outgrowth in a murine fat pad. Given the biological differences between blood and mammary epithelium, it is no surprise that the identity of human mammary stem cells and the mechanisms that govern them are still hotly debated.     

Time-Dependent Micromechanical Responses of Breast Cancer Cells and Adjacent Fibroblasts to Electric Treatment

Direct-current, low-intensity, electric fields were suggested as a minimally invasive treatment for various cancers. The tumor microenvironment may affect treatment efficacy, albeit it has not generally been considered when evaluating novel anti-cancer treatments. We evaluate the effects of electric treatment on epithelial, breast-cancer cells, co-cultured with non-cancerous fibroblasts, a simplified model for the tumor-microenvironment. We evaluate changes in morphology, cytoskeleton, and focus on dynamic intracellular structure and mechanics. Multiple-particle tracking was used within living cells to quantify time-dependent structural and mechanical changes. Cancer cells suffer severe cell death and exhibit transient rounding and changes in internal structural and mechanics. Interestingly, treating cancer cells in co-culture with fibroblasts delays and reduces their responses to treatment. Our particle-tracking data indicates a mechanism relating the observed changes in intracellular transport to transient changes in the microtubule network and its motors. In contrast, fibroblasts are only minimally affected by treatment, separately or in co-culture. To conclude, intracellular mechanics reveal time-dependent responses after treatment, unavailable by bulk measurements. This time-dependence could provide a window of opportunity for continued treatment. We demonstrate the importance of evaluating anti-cancer treatments within their microenvironment, which can affect response magnitude and time-course.     

Anti-Proliferative Effects of Evodiamine on Human Breast Cancer Cells

Endocrine sensitivity, assessed by the expression of estrogen receptor (ER), has long been the predict factor to guide therapeutic decisions. Tamoxifen has been the most successful hormonal treatment in endocrine-sensitive breast cancer. However, in estrogen-insensitive cancer tamoxifen showed less effectiveness than in estrogen-sensitive cancer. It is interesting to develop new drugs against both hormone-sensitive and insensitive tumor. In this present study we examined anticancer effects of evodiamine extracted from the Chinese herb, Evodiae fructus, in estrogen-dependent and –independent human breast cancer cells, MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 cells, respectively. Evodiamine inhibited the proliferation of MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 cells in a concentration-dependent manner with concentration of 1×10⁻⁶ and 1×10⁻⁵ M. Evodiamine also induced apoptosis via up-regulation of caspase 7 activation, PARP cleavage (Bik and Bax expression). The expression of ER α and β in protein and mRNA levels was down-regulated by evodiamine according to data from immunoblotting and RT-PCR analysis. Overall, our results indicate that evodiamine mediates degradation of ER and induces caspase-dependent pathway leading to inhibit proliferation of breast cancer cell lines. It suggests that evodiamine may in part mediate through ER-inhibitory pathway to inhibit breast cancer cell proliferation.     

靶向干扰Chkl增强阿霉素抗人乳腺癌MCF-7/adr细胞的作用机制研究

Chkl的高表达可能是肿瘤对化疗药物的敏感性降低的重要因素之一,本研究的目的是观察siRNA干扰Chk1对人乳腺癌耐药细胞株MCF-7/adr(耐阿霉素)生长及细胞周期的影响,探讨Chk1在乳腺癌细胞耐药中的作用机制。采用RNAi技术抑制MCF-7/adr细胞中Chk1的表达。Westernblot检测转染前后细胞内Chk1蛋白表达情况,经阿霉素作用后,流式细胞术(FCM)检测其细胞周期分布及细胞凋亡率,MTT法检测细胞增殖。Western blot结果显示,Chk1 siRNA转染24h后,MCF-7/adr细胞中Chk1蛋白表达下降了67%,明显低于对照组和空载体转染组(P<0.05)。FCM法检测结果显示,同时,抑制Chk1的表达可解除阿霉素引起的G_2/M期阻滞;使阿霉素诱导的细胞凋亡率由转染前的(5.54±0.15)%上升到(22.24±0.13)%(P<0.05);在阿霉素浓度为0.4mg/L、4mg/L时,细胞的增殖活性分别下降13%、34%。提示siRNA干扰Chk1能够通过调控MCF-7/adr细胞周期及增殖从而增强乳腺癌细胞对阿霉素的敏感性,为临床上克服乳腺癌化疗耐药提供了新的作用靶点。     

Modulation of Progestin Binding Activity in Cultured Human Breast Carcinoma Cells: The Effect of Serum Type and Concentration

Abstract

Progesterone receptor levels in MCF-7 human breast cancer cells increase as a specific response to estrogen and to some nonsteroidal antiestrogens. In the present study we demonstrate that the type and quantity of serum present during culture of these cells modifies the level of progestin binding activity, but not the level of estradiol binding activity.

MCF-7 cells maintained in media supplemented with 5% charcoal-dextran treated calf serum (CDCS) contain 0.3 - 0.4 pmol of cytosol progesterone receptor (PR_c) per mg DNA. When cells previously maintained in 5% CDCS-media are shifted to media containing 5% charcoal-dextran treated fetal calf serum (CDFCS), the level of progestin binding increases after day 16, and stabilizes at 2 - 3 pmol/mg DNA at days 30 to 40. Shifting these cells back to 5% CDCS-media, reduces PR_c to 0.2 - 0.4 pmol/mg DNA within 3 days. This reduction is dose dependent with a half-optimal decrease at 1% CDCS, and a full decrease at 2% CDCS (4d incubation). Nuclear progestin binding was uniformly low (0.2 - 0.4 pmol/mg DNA) and unaffected by type or concentration of serum, and no consistent change in cytosol or nuclear estrogen receptor levels was observed. These cytoplasmic progestin binding sites are translocated to the nucleus by progesterone, and are similar to estradiol (E₂) induced sites by Scatchard binding and sucrose gradient analysis. Similar serum-dependent changes are also observed in the T₄₇D human breast cancer cell line where growth in CDFCS-media results in 4-fold higher progestin binidng levels than observed in CDCS-media. Our findings suggest the presence of non-dialyzable stimulatory factor(s) in CDFCS that influence the progestin receptor level the highlight the fact that serum components can alter dramatically the cellular progestin binding activity.     

Tumor Specific Peptides Selected for Targeted Delivery of Therapeutic Agents to Glioma Human Cells

Russian Journal of Bioorganic Chemistry - Brain tumors are among the most intractable types of malignant neoplasms. Despite advances in the treatment of cancer, in particular, the development of...     

Soluble T-Cell Receptors Produced in Human Cells for Targeted Delivery

Recently, technology has become available to generate soluble T-cell receptors (sTCRs) that contain the antigen recognition part. In contrast to antibodies, sTCRs recognize intracellular in addition to extracellular epitopes, potentially increasing the number of applications as reagents for target detection and immunotherapy. Moreover, recent data show that they can be used for identification of their natural peptide ligands in disease. Here we describe a new and simplified expression method for sTCRs in human cells and show that these sTCRs can be used for antigen-specific labeling and elimination of human target cells. Four different TCRs were solubilized by expression of constructs encoding the TCR alpha (α) and beta (β) chains lacking the transmembrane and intracellular domains, linked by a ribosomal skipping 2A sequence that facilitates equimolar production of the chains. Cell supernatants containing sTCRs labeled target cells directly in a peptide (p)-human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-specific manner. We demonstrated that a MART-1p/HLA-A*02:01-specific sTCR fused to a fluorescent protein, or multimerized onto magnetic nanoparticles, could be internalized. Moreover, we showed that this sTCR and two sTCRs recognizing CD20p/HLA-A*02:01 could mediate selective elimination of target cells expressing the relevant pHLA complex when tetramerized to streptavidin-conjugated toxin, demonstrating the potential for specific delivery of cargo. This simple and efficient method can be utilized to generate a wide range of minimally modified sTCRs from the naturally occurring TCR repertoire for antigen-specific detection and targeting.     

人肝癌细胞与肝星形细胞裸鼠皮下共培养体系的建立

目的:建立裸鼠皮下共培养人肝癌细胞与肝星形细胞模型,观察人肝癌细胞与肝星形细胞间相互作用后超微结构的改变.方法:将16只裸鼠分为两组,肝癌细胞单独培养组和癌细胞与肝星形细胞共培养组,40天后将荷瘤组织切片行光镜及透射电镜观察.结果:肝癌细胞单独培养组中可观察到肝癌细胞的胞质液化及早期细胞凋亡现象,而共培养组中可见肝星形细胞时肝癌细胞的趋化现象,可观察到肝癌细胞结构完整且有增殖趋势.结论:裸鼠皮下荷瘤三维立体模型建立成功,该模型能够模拟肝癌微环境中肝癌细胞与肝星形细胞问的作用,为进一步研究肝癌细胞与肝星形细胞间的相互作用奠定了基础.     

From Single Cells to Tissues: Interactions between the Matrix and Human Breast Cells in Real Time

Background

Mammary gland morphogenesis involves ductal elongation, branching, and budding. All of these processes are mediated by stroma - epithelium interactions. Biomechanical factors, such as matrix stiffness, have been established as important factors in these interactions. For example, epithelial cells fail to form normal acinar structures in vitro in 3D gels that exceed the stiffness of a normal mammary gland. Additionally, heterogeneity in the spatial distribution of acini and ducts within individual collagen gels suggests that local organization of the matrix may guide morphogenesis. Here, we quantified the effects of both bulk material stiffness and local collagen fiber arrangement on epithelial morphogenesis.

Results

The formation of ducts and acini from single cells and the reorganization of the collagen fiber network were quantified using time-lapse confocal microscopy. MCF10A cells organized the surrounding collagen fibers during the first twelve hours after seeding. Collagen fiber density and alignment relative to the epithelial surface significantly increased within the first twelve hours and were a major influence in the shaping of the mammary epithelium. The addition of Matrigel to the collagen fiber network impaired cell-mediated reorganization of the matrix and increased the probability of spheroidal acini rather than branching ducts. The mechanical anisotropy created by regions of highly aligned collagen fibers facilitated elongation and branching, which was significantly correlated with fiber organization. In contrast, changes in bulk stiffness were not a strong predictor of this epithelial morphology.

Conclusions

Localized regions of collagen fiber alignment are required for ductal elongation and branching suggesting the importance of local mechanical anisotropy in mammary epithelial morphogenesis. Similar principles may govern the morphology of branching and budding in other tissues and organs.     

hTRT反义基因转染对人结肠癌细胞生长的抑制作用

利用基因重组技术,hTRT基因反向插入真核表达载体pcDNA3．0,获得重组体pcDRTRT,通过脂质体法导入人结肠癌细胞株SW-111C,获得稳定转染细胞系,即反义细胞,该细胞易脱落,出现明显生长抑制现象;失去叠落生长能力;流式细胞仪(FCM)证实导入反义hTRT后,G0/1期细胞增加,G2M和S期细胞减少,增殖指数(PI)降低;且不能在软琼脂中形成集落;并发现反义细胞中hTRT表达水平明显下降。说明反义hTRT基因体外导入结肠在细胞株SW-111C可以明显降低端粒酶活性,抑制结肠癌细胞的生长、增殖且能使其恶性表型发生逆转。     

电离辐射调控脂质体介导的CDglyTK基因杀伤人肝癌细胞

利用EGR 1启动子、CDglyTK构建pcDNA3 EGR CDglyTK重组载体 ,以pcDNA3 CMV CDglyTK质粒为对照 ,经阳离子脂质体LipofectAMINE介导转染人肝癌 740 2细胞株 ,给予不同剂量 γ射线照射 ,通过Northern印迹、Western印迹分析 ,结果表明电离辐射可诱导转染pcDNA3 EGR CDglyTK肿瘤细胞中CDglyTK的表达 ,并呈剂量依赖性 ;而在pcDNA3 CMV CDglyTK实验组中无此诱导特性。转染pcDNA3 EGR CDglyTK的肿瘤细胞单独给予 8Gy的 γ 射线处理未见细胞明显死亡 ,而电离辐射与前药 [5 FC(fluorocytosine) GCV]的联合大大增强了杀伤肿瘤细胞的作用。研究结果证实EGR 1启动子具有电离辐射诱导特性 ,同时提示CMV启动子无此特性 ;5 FC与GCV的配伍有协同效应 ,电离辐射可明显增强肿瘤细胞对 5 FC、GCV的敏感性 ,其细胞毒性大于单独自杀基因或单独放疗。     

Periostin Contributes to the Acquisition of Multipotent Stem Cell-Like Properties in Human Mammary Epithelial Cells and Breast Cancer Cells

Periostin (POSTN), a recently characterised matricellular protein, is frequently dysregulated in various malignant cancers and promotes tumor metastatic growth. POSTN plays a critical role in the crosstalk between murine breast cancer stem cells (CSCs) and their niche to permit metastatic colonization. However, whether pro-metastatic capability of POSTN is associated with multipotent potentials of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) has not been documented. Here we demonstrate that POSTN promotes a stem cell-like trait and a mesenchymal phenotype in human mammary epithelial cells and breast cancer cells. Interestingly, ectopic overexpression of POSTN or recombinant POSTN treatment can induce human mammary epithelial cells and breast cancer cells differentiation into multiple cell lineages that recapitulate part of the multilineage differentiation potentials of MSCs. Moreover, POSTN is highly expressed in bone marrow-derived MSCs and their derived adipocytes, chondrocytes, and osteoblasts in vitro. Furthermore, POSTN promotes the growth of xenograft tumors in vivo. POSTN-overexpressing human mammary epithelial cells enhance breast tumor growth and metastasis. These data thus provide evidence of a new role for POSTN in mammary epithelial neoplasia and metastasis, suggesting that epithelial cancer cells might acquire CSC-like traits and a mesenchymal phenotype, as well as the multipotent potentials of MSCs to promote tumorigenesis and metastasis. Therefore, targeting POSTN and other extracellular matrix components of tumor microenvironment may help to develop new therapeutical strategies to inhibit tumor metastasis.