6-Shogaol Inhibits Breast Cancer Cells and Stem Cell-Like Spheroids by Modulation of Notch Signaling Pathway and Induction of Autophagic Cell Death

Cancer stem cells (CSCs) pose a serious obstacle to cancer therapy as they can be responsible for poor prognosis and tumour relapse. In this study, we have investigated inhibitory activity of the ginger-derived compound 6-shogaol against breast cancer cells both in monolayer and in cancer-stem cell-like spheroid culture. The spheroids were generated from adherent breast cancer cells. 6-shogaol was effective in killing both breast cancer monolayer cells and spheroids at doses that were not toxic to noncancerous cells. The percentages of CD44⁺CD24^-/^low cells and the secondary sphere content were reduced drastically upon treatment with 6-shogaol confirming its action on CSCs. Treatment with 6-shogaol caused cytoplasmic vacuole formation and cleavage of microtubule associated protein Light Chain3 (LC3) in both monolayer and spheroid culture indicating that it induced autophagy. Kinetic analysis of the LC3 expression and a combination treatment with chloroquine revealed that the autophagic flux instigated cell death in 6-shogaol treated breast cancer cells in contrast to the autophagy inhibitor chloroquine. Furthermore, 6-shogaol-induced cell death got suppressed in the presence of chloroquine and a very low level of apoptosis was exhibited even after prolonged treatment of the compound, suggesting that autophagy is the major mode of cell death induced by 6-shogaol in breast cancer cells. 6-shogaol reduced the expression levels of Cleaved Notch1 and its target proteins Hes1 and Cyclin D1 in spheroids, and the reduction was further pronounced in the presence of a γ-secretase inhibitor. Secondary sphere formation in the presence of the inhibitor was also further reduced by 6-shogaol. Together, these results indicate that the inhibitory action of 6-shogaol on spheroid growth and sustainability is conferred through γ-secretase mediated down-regulation of Notch signaling. The efficacy of 6-shogaol in monolayer and cancer stem cell-like spheroids raise hope for its therapeutic benefit in breast cancer treatment.     

Topological and Functional Characterization of the ssSPTs,Small Activating Subunits of Serine Palmitoyltransferase

The topological and functional organization of the two isoforms of the small subunits of human serine palmitoyltransferase (hssSPTs) that activate the catalytic hLCB1/hLCB2 heterodimer was investigated. A variety of experimental approaches placed the N termini of the ssSPTs in the cytosol, their C termini in the lumen, and showed that they contain a single transmembrane domain. Deletion analysis revealed that the ability to activate the heterodimer is contained in a conserved 33-amino acid core domain that has the same membrane topology as the full-length protein. In combination with analysis of isoform chimera and site-directed mutagenesis, a single amino acid residue in this core (Met²⁵ in ssSPTa and Val²⁵ in ssSPTb) was identified which confers specificity for palmitoyl- or stearoyl-CoA, respectively, in both yeast and mammalian cells. This same residue also determines which isoform is a better activator of a mutant heterodimer, hLCB1^S331F/hLCB2a, which has increased basal SPT activity and decreased amino acid substrate selectivity. This suggests that the role of the ssSPTs is to increase SPT activity without compromising substrate specificity. In addition, the observation that the C-terminal domains of ssSPTa and ssSPTb, which are highly conserved within each subfamily but are the most divergent regions between isoform subfamilies, are not required for activation of the heterodimer or for acyl-CoA selectivity suggests that the ssSPTs have additional roles that remain to be discovered.     

7-Amino-actinomycin D complexes with deoxynucleotides as models for the binding of the drug to DNA

Fluorescence, CD, absorption, and ¹H-nmr studies are reported for complexes of 7-amino-actinomycin D with deoxydinucleotides, deoxytetranucleotides, and poly(dG-dC)· poly(dG-dC). The optical spectra for the 7-amino-actinomycin D complex with pdG-dC, pdG-dC-dG-dC and pdC-dG-dC-dG are similar in shape to the 7-amino-actinomycin D complex with either DNA or poly(dG-dC). The changes in the ¹H chemical shifts of the 7-amino-actinomycin D and the pdG-dC resonances that accompany complex formation show that 7-amino-actinomycin D forms a minature intercalated complex with two pdG-dC molecules. The magnitudes of the induced chemical shifts for the 7-amino-actinomycin D complex formation with pdG-dC are similar to, but slightly different from, the induced chemical shifts which are obtained when actinomycin D forms a minature intercalated complex with two pdG-dC molecules. The pdN-dG dinucleotides (N = C, A, or T) form stacked complexes with 7-amino-actinomycin D. The presence of the 7-amino-group results in a larger dimerization constant (in aqueous solution) for 7-amino-actinomycin D [K_D(6°C) = 4.4 × 10³M^?1], as compared to actinomycin D [K_D(6°C) = 1.7 × 10³M^?1]; the chemical shifts which accompany dimer formation indicate that the chromophores stack in an inverted manner. Intercalation of 7-amino-actinomycin D into minature double helices, as well as into calf thymus DNA, poly(dG-dC)·poly(dG-dC), and poly(dA-dC)·poly(dG-dT), results in an enhancement of the relative fluorescence intensity and a shift in both the absorbance and corrected emission spectra.     

Effect of an estrogen antagonist on development of blastocysts and implantation in the hamster

CI 628 citrate, an estrogen antagonist, was given as a single intraluminal injection (5 micrograms) on day 3 to ovariectomized, progesterone-treated hamsters. This significantly reduced embryo cleavage rate, transformation of morula into blastocyst, and completely inhibited implantation. The effects of the drug could be reversed by estradiol-17B (1 microgram) but not estradiol-17 alpha (1 microgram) injected intraluminally with CI 628 citrate. Our finding suggests a role of estrogen present in hamster preimplantation embryo in the triggering of embryonic differentiation and implantation of the blastocyst.     

Correlation and regression studies between pupal weight and fecundity of muga silkworm Antheraea assama Westwood (Lepidoptera: Saturniidae) on four different foodplants.

Female pupal weight and fecundity of mother moth of Antheraea assama Westwood fed with four different food plants have been studied. Litsaea polyantha fed females showed significantly higher pupal weight and higher rate of oviposition in comparison to three food plants Machilus bombycina, Litsaea salicifolia and Cinnamomum glaucescens. The number of eggs laid was correlated with the pupal weight. The correlation co-efficient (r = 0.9730) showed positive and significant correlation at 1% level. The pupal weight was found to be the best and genuine estimator of fecundity.     

Saccharification of xylan by an amyloglucosidase of Termitomyces clypeatus and synergism in the presence of xylanase

Summary An amyloglucosidase from a mycelial culture of the mushroom Termitomyces clypeatus hydrolysed larch wood xylan independently and synergistically with an endo-(14) xylanase of the same fungus. The glucoamylase saccharified xylan predigested with xylanase at a faster rate compared to that of xylanase acting on amylase-digested xylan. However, overall saccharification of xylan in both cases was the same. Only glucose was liberated from xylan by amylase digestion whereas xylose, xylobiose and other oligosaccharides were liberated during xylanase digestion. The synergistic response of enzyme combinations was reflected in the liberation of glucose from xylan, rather than xylose. Glucoamylase and xylanase activities on soluble and insoluble fractions of larch wood xylan with different xylose and glucose contents suggested that synergism in xylanolysis by the presence of glucoamylase was dependent on the activity of the participating xylanase on the xylan preparation. It is suggested that possibly -glucosidic linkages are present in xylan and that amyloglucosidase might be involved in xylanolysis. Correspondence to: S. Sengupta     

Stereoconfiguration of amino acids in peptides from a mycobacillin-synthesizing cell-free system (Short Communications)

The stereoconfiguration of amino acids, as determined by treatment with L-amino acid oxidase, d-amino acid oxidase and l-glutamate decarboxylase (containing l-aspartate decarboxylase activity), in the peptides from a mycobacillin-synthesizing cell-free system is identical with that of the growing mycobacillin peptide chaid if its synthesis starts from l-proline and is interrupted at various points by amino acid deprivation.