Identification of Drug Combinations Containing Imatinib for Treatment of BCR-ABL+ Leukemias

The BCR-ABL translocation is found in chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) and in Ph+ acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) patients. Although imatinib and its analogues have been used as front-line therapy to target this mutation and control the disease for over a decade, resistance to the therapy is still observed and most patients are not cured but need to continue the therapy indefinitely. It is therefore of great importance to find new therapies, possibly as drug combinations, which can overcome drug resistance. In this study, we identified eleven candidate anti-leukemic drugs that might be combined with imatinib, using three approaches: a kinase inhibitor library screen, a gene expression correlation analysis, and literature analysis. We then used an experimental search algorithm to efficiently explore the large space of possible drug and dose combinations and identified drug combinations that selectively kill a BCR-ABL+ leukemic cell line (K562) over a normal fibroblast cell line (IMR-90). Only six iterations of the algorithm were needed to identify very selective drug combinations. The efficacy of the top forty-nine combinations was further confirmed using Ph+ and Ph- ALL patient cells, including imatinib-resistant cells. Collectively, the drug combinations and methods we describe might be a first step towards more effective interventions for leukemia patients, especially those with the BCR-ABL translocation.     

Oxidative and electrophilic stresses activate Nrf2 through inhibition of ubiquitination activity of Keap1

The Keap1-Nrf2 system is the major regulatory pathway of cytoprotective gene expression against oxidative and/or electrophilic stresses. Keap1 acts as a stress sensor protein in this system. While Keap1 constitutively suppresses Nrf2 activity under unstressed conditions, oxidants or electrophiles provoke the repression of Keap1 activity, inducing the Nrf2 activation. However, the precise molecular mechanisms behind the liberation of Nrf2 from Keap1 repression in the presence of stress remain to be elucidated. We hypothesized that oxidative and electrophilic stresses induce the nuclear accumulation of Nrf2 by affecting the Keap1-mediated rapid turnover of Nrf2, since such accumulation was diminished by the protein synthesis inhibitor cycloheximide. While both the Cys273 and Cys288 residues of Keap1 are required for suppressing Nrf2 nuclear accumulation, treatment of cells with electrophiles or mutation of these cysteine residues to alanine did not affect the association of Keap1 with Nrf2 either in vivo or in vitro. Rather, these treatments impaired the Keap1-mediated proteasomal degradation of Nrf2. These results support the contention that Nrf2 protein synthesized de novo after exposure to stress accumulates in the nucleus by bypassing the Keap1 gate and that the sensory mechanism of oxidative and electrophilic stresses is closely linked to the degradation mechanism of Nrf2.     

Production of recombinant hirudin in galactokinase-deficientSaccharomyces cerevisiae by fed-batch fermentation with continuous glucose feeding

The artificial gene coding for anticoagulant hirudin was placed under the control of theGAL10 promoter and expressed in the galactokinase-deficient strain (Δgal1) ofSaccharomyces cereivisiae, which uses galactose only as a gratuitous inducer in order to avoid its consumption. For efficient production of recombinant hirudin, a carbon source other than galactose should be provided in the medium to support growth of the Δgal1 strain. Here we demonstrate the successful use of glucose in the fed-batch fermentation of the Δgal1 strain to achieve efficient production of recombinant hirudin, with a yield of up to 400 mg hirudin/L.     

Involvement of ZEB1 and E-cadherin in the invasion of lung squamous cell carcinoma

This study intended to investigate the expression of the ZEB1 and E-cadherin proteins in lung squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC) tissues and to examine the clinicopathological correlation between protein levels and LSCC. RT-PCR and Western blot were used to examine the expression of ZEB1 and E-cadherin mRNAs and proteins in LSCC tissues as well as in adjacent normal tissues, and then analyze the relationship between the clinicopathological characteristics and the expression changes of ZEB1 and E-cadherin mRNAs in LSCC. In addition, RNAi was used to knockdown the expression of the ZEB1 gene in Human HCC827 cells; subsequently, changes in the invasive ability of the resultant cells were studied. The positive rates of ZEB1 and E-cadherin mRNAs in LSCC tissues were 69.2 and 38.5 %, respectively. They differed significantly from the corresponding positive rates in the adjacent normal lung tissues (15.4 and 80.8 %, p < 0.05). There was a negative correlation between the protein levels of ZEB1 and E-cadherin in LSCC tissues (r = -0.714, p < 0.001); in addition, it was found that ZEB1 protein expression in LSCC tissues was significantly higher than that in the neighboring normal lung tissues (p < 0.05), and its expression was also significantly higher in patients with lymph node metastases and distant metastases compared to those patients without metastatic disease (p < 0.05). On the contrary, E-cadherin expression was significantly lower in LSCC tissues than that in the neighboring normal tissue (p < 0.05). It was lower in patients with lymph node metastasis and distant metastasis compared to patients without metastatic disease (p < 0.05). However, the expression of ZEB1 and E-cadherin was independent of gender, age, tumor size, or tumor differentiation level (p > 0.05). Transfection of ZEB1 siRNA into HCC827 cells significantly reduced the ZEB1 protein level (p < 0.01) and significantly elevated E-cadherin levels (p < 0.01). Moreover, significantly less ZEB1 siRNA-transfected cells migrated through Transwell chambers in the LSCC tissue than that in the control groups (untransfected or transfected with control siRNA, p < 0.01). The expression of the ZEB1 gene in LSCC tissues is downregulated with the expression of E-cadherin. On the other hand, the expression of siRNA against ZEB1 promotes E-cadherin expression and suppresses the invasive ability conferred by E-cadherin. In conclusion, our data suggested that overexpression of the ZEB1 gene is possibly associated with the occurrence, development, invasion of LSCC.     

δ-Opioid Receptor Activation Modified MicroRNA Expression in the Rat Kidney under Prolonged Hypoxia

Hypoxic/ischemic injury to kidney is a frequently encountered clinical problem with limited therapeutic options. Since microRNAs are differentially involved in hypoxic/ischemic events and δ-opioid receptor (DOR) activation is known to protect against hypoxic/ischemic injury, we speculated on the involvement of DOR activation in altering the microRNA (miRNA) expression in kidney under hypoxic condition. We selected 31 miRNAs based on microarray data for quantitative PCR analysis. Among them, 14 miRNAs were significantly altered after prolonged hypoxia, DOR activation or a combination of both. We found that 1) DOR activation alters miRNA expression profiles in normoxic conditions; 2) hypoxia differentially alters miRNA expression depending on the duration of hypoxia; and 3) DOR activation can modify hypoxia-induced changes in miRNA expression. For example, 10-day hypoxia reduced the level of miR-212 by over 70%, while DOR activation could mimic such reduction even in normoxic kidney. In contrast, the same stress increased miR-29a by >100%, which was reversed following DOR activation. These first data suggest that hypoxia comprehensively modifies the miRNA profile within the kidney, which can be mimicked or modified by DOR activation. Ascertaining the targeted pathways that regulate the diverse cellular and molecular functions of miRNA may provide new insights into potential therapies for hypoxic/ischemic injury of the kidney.     

PI3K/Akt Signal Pathway Involved in the Cognitive Impairment Caused by Chronic Cerebral Hypoperfusion in Rats

Chronic cerebral hypoperfusion (CCH) is a common pathophysiological state that usually occurs in conditions such as vascular dementia and Alzheimer''s disease, both of which are characterized by cognitive impairment. In previous studies we found that learning capacity and memory were gradually impaired with CCH, which altered the expression of synaptophysin, microtubule associated protein-2, growth associated protein-43, brain-derived neurotrophic factor, nerve growth factor, N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor subunit 1, cAMP response element-binding protein and tau hyperphosphorylation in the hippocampus. However, the molecular basis of cognitive impairment in CCH remains obscure. Here we explore the hypothesis that the phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)/protein kinase B (Akt) signal pathway is involved in this type of cognitive impairment. In order to determine if the expression of PI3K, Akt and phosphorylated Akt (p-Akt) proteins are altered at different stages of CCH with differing levels of cognitive impairment. we performed permanent, bilateral occlusion of the common carotid arteries (2-VO) to induce CCH. Adult male SD rats were randomly divided into sham-operated group, 2-VO 1 week group, 2-VO 4 weeks group and 2-VO 8 weeks group. Behavior tests were utilized to assess cognitive abilities, while western blots were utilized to evaluate protein expression. Rats in the 2-VO groups spent less time exploring novel objects than those in the sham-operated group, and the discrimination ratio of the 2-VO 8 weeks group and the sham-operated group were higher than chance (0.50). Escape latencies in the Morris water maze task in the 2-VO 1 week group were longer than those in the sham-operated group on day 4 and day 5, while escape latencies in the 2-VO 4 weeks group were longer than those in the sham-operated group from day 3 to day 5. Escape latencies in 2-VO 8 weeks group were longer than those in the sham-operated group from day 2 to day 5. NE (northeast) square swimming times in the 2-VO 1 week group, 2-VO 4 weeks group and 2-VO 8 weeks group were shorter than that in the sham-operated group. Western blotting showed that the PI3K expression in the 2-VO 1 week group was lower than that in sham-operated group, while p-Akt expression in the 2-VO 8 weeks group was higher than that in the sham-operated group. There was a linear relationship between the PI3K expression and the discrimination ratio, as well as a linear relationship between the PI3K and NE square swimming time. Thus, we propose that the PI3K/Akt signal pathway is an important cell pathway that is associated with the cognitive impairment following CCH.     

Identification and characterization of proteins isolated from microvesicles derived from human lung cancer pleural effusions

Microvesicles (MVs, also known as exosomes, ectosomes, microparticles) are released by various cancer cells, including lung, colorectal, and prostate carcinoma cells. MVs released from tumor cells and other sources accumulate in the circulation and in pleural effusion. Although recent studies have shown that MVs play multiple roles in tumor progression, the potential pathological roles of MV in pleural effusion, and their protein composition, are still unknown. In this study, we report the first global proteomic analysis of highly purified MVs derived from human nonsmall cell lung cancer (NSCLC) pleural effusion. Using nano‐LC–MS/MS following 1D SDS‐PAGE separation, we identified a total of 912 MV proteins with high confidence. Three independent experiments on three patients showed that MV proteins from PE were distinct from MV obtained from other malignancies. Bioinformatics analyses of the MS data identified pathologically relevant proteins and potential diagnostic makers for NSCLC, including lung‐enriched surface antigens and proteins related to epidermal growth factor receptor signaling. These findings provide new insight into the diverse functions of MVs in cancer progression and will aid in the development of novel diagnostic tools for NSCLC.