Down‐regulation of uPA and uPAR by 3,3′‐diindolylmethane contributes to the inhibition of cell growth and migration of breast cancer cells

3,3′‐Diindolylmethane (DIM) is a known anti‐tumor agent against breast and other cancers; however, its exact mechanism of action remains unclear. The urokinase plasminogen activator (uPA) and its receptor (uPAR) system are involved in the degradation of basement membrane and extracellular matrix, leading to tumor cell invasion and metastasis. Since uPA‐uPAR system is highly activated in aggressive breast cancer, we hypothesized that the biological activity of B‐DIM could be mediated via inactivation of uPA‐uPAR system. We found that B‐DIM treatment as well as silencing of uPA‐uPAR led to the inhibition of cell growth and motility of MDA‐MB‐231 cells, which was in part due to inhibition of VEGF and MMP‐9. Moreover, silencing of uPA‐uPAR led to decreased sensitivity of these cells to B‐DIM indicating an important role of uPA‐uPAR in B‐DIM‐mediated inhibition of cell growth and migration. We also found similar effects of B‐DIM on MCF‐7, cells expressing low levels of uPA‐uPAR, which was due to direct down‐regulation of MMP‐9 and VEGF, independent of uPA‐uPAR system. Interestingly, over‐expression of uPA‐uPAR in MCF‐7 cells attenuated the inhibitory effects of B‐DIM. Our results, therefore, suggest that B‐DIM down‐regulates uPA‐uPAR in aggressive breast cancers but in the absence of uPA‐uPAR, B‐DIM can directly inhibit VEGF and MMP‐9 leading to the inhibition of cell growth and migration of breast cancer cells. J. Cell. Biochem. 108: 916–925, 2009. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

Neanderthals and volcanic rocks. Opportunistic behaviour or optimized management?

The use of volcanic rocks by Neanderthals is frequently considered to be opportunistic, especially when good-quality stones were rare in the site neighbourhood. An analysis of the lithic series made of volcanic rocks discovered in the Middle Palaeolithic sites of Payre and Sainte-Anne I, located in the south part and at the southeastern margin of the Massif Central of France and dated back to MIS 7 up until the end of MIS 5, illustrates the capacity of Neanderthals to manage these raw materials and enables us to compare the strategies used in two different mineral environments. Shaping and flaking reduction sequences coexist in both sites in varying proportions, depending on the available rocks in the surroundings. At Payre, artefacts made of volcanic rocks are rarer in surroundings rich in flint while at Sainte-Anne I, the different series comprise a large quantity of artefacts made of different basalts and trachy-phonolites in an environment relatively poor in flint. Most of the reduction processes took place in situ. Activities outside the sites only appear to have concerned the shaping of some heavy-duty tools and some large flakes. It is likely that volcanic rocks were considered by Neanderthals as a geo-resource, either major or lesser in importance, to provide large flakes and both heavy-duty and light-duty tools, besides flint quartz and other rocks.     

Differences in the starvation-induced autophagy response in MDA-MB-231 and MCF-7 breast cancer cells

Breast cancer is a heterogeneous disease with distinct subtypes that have made targeted therapy of breast cancer challenging. Previous studies have demonstrated that an altered autophagy capacity can influence the development of breast cancer. However, the molecular differences in starvation-induced autophagic responses in MDA-MB-231 and MCF-7 cells have not been fully elucidated. In this study, we found that an increase of LC3B-II protein expression level and a decrease of the p62 protein expression level in both cells treated by Earle’s balanced salt solution. Meanwhile, we observed an increase of autophagosome using transmission electron microscopy and an enhancement in the green fluorescence intensity of LC3B protein by confocal microscopy. Furthermore, we detected the expression of 13 autophagy-related (ATG) genes and 11 autophagy signaling pathway-related genes using qPCR. Among 13 ATG genes, we found that 6 genes were up-regulated in treated MDA-MB-231 cells, while 4 genes were up-regulated and 1 gene was down-regulated in treated MCF-7 cells. In addition, among 11 autophagy signaling pathway-related genes, 7 genes were up-regulated in treated MDA-MB-231 cells, while 5 genes were up-regulated and 1 gene was down-regulated in treated MCF-7 cells. These findings suggest that the autophagic response to starvation was different in the two treated cell lines, which will contribute to further study on the molecular mechanism of starvation-induced autophagy and improve the targeted therapy of breast cancer.     

Synthesis,characterization and biological evaluation of C5′-N-cyclopropylcarboxamido-C6-amino-C2-alkynylated purine nucleoside analogues

In an effort to develop potent antibacterial and anticancer agents, a series of C5′-N-cyclopropylcarboxamido-C6-amino-C2-alkynylated purine nucleoside analogues 11a-g were synthesized through a Sonogashira cross-coupling reaction. The nine-step synthesis is easy to perform, and employs commercially available reagents. 2-Iodo-5′-N-cyclopropylcarboxamidoadenosine (9) was used as the starting intermediate for the synthesis of title derivatives 11a-g. Synthetic intermediates (2–9) and final products (11a-g) were appropriately characterized by IR, ¹H NMR, ¹³C NMR and mass spectroscopy. The synthesized purine nucleoside analogues (11a-g) were evaluated for their in vitro antibacterial activity against two gram-positive and two gram-negative bacteria. They were then tested for cytotoxicity against MDA-MB-231 and Caco-2 cancer cell lines to determine their anti-cancer activity. Among the tested compounds, compounds 11c and 11g showed most potent antibacterial activity against S.aureus and P.aeruginosa bacterial strains. Compounds 11b and 11e displayed considerable IC₅₀^s of 7.9 and 6.8 µg/mL, respectively, vs MDA-MB-231 cell lines of 7.5 and 8.3 µg/mL, respectively, against the Caco-2 cell lines.     

c-Jun NH2-terminal kinase (JNK)-dependent nuclear translocation of apoptosis-inducing factor (AIF) following engagement of membrane immunoglobulin on WEHI-231 B lymphoma cells

WEHI-231 B lymphoma cells have been employed for analysis of antigen-induced B cell unresponsiveness because these cells undergo cell cycle arrest in G1, accompanied by induction of apoptosis. In the present study, we examined the requirement for toxic small molecules apoptosis-inducing factor (AIF) and cytochrome c, and subsequent caspase activation in apoptotic cell death in WEHI-231 and CH31 B lymphoma cells following engagement of membrane immunoglobulin (mIg). Pan-caspase inhibitor BD-fmk blocked mIg-mediated increase in cells with sub-G1 DNA content, whereas it did not affect mIg-mediated loss of mitochondrial membrane potential and phosphatidylserine exposure on B cell membrane. Dominant-negative form of c-Jun NH2-terminal kinase1 (JNK1) blocked the translocation of AIF into the nuclei and cytosol from the mitochondria in the WEHI-231 and CH31 cells following mIg engagement, whereas constitutively active form of JNK1 enhanced it. This AIF translocation was also blocked by Bcl-xL, but not by BD-fmk. Moreover, AIF-deficient clones via small interfering RNA (siRNA)-mediated method showed small increase in loss of mitochondrial membrane potential. After mIg engagement, the AIF-deficient clones displayed an enhanced sensitivity to mIg-mediated apoptosis, concomitant with translocation of a residual AIF into the nuclei, compared with control clone. Our findings are compatible with the notion that AIF has dual role, with a proapoptotic function in the nuclei and a distinct anti-apoptotic function in the mitochondria. These observations would be valuable for analysis of B cell unresponsiveness and hopefully for treatment of diseases involving B cell dysfunction.     

Antisense macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) prevents anti-IgM mediated growth arrest and apoptosis of a murine B cell line by regulating cell cycle progression

Macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) is involved in the generation of cell-mediated immune responses. Recently it has been reported that MIF also plays a role in cell proliferation and differentiation. In the present study, using a B-cell line, WEHI-231, and its stable MIF-antisense transfectant, WaM2, as a representative transfectant, we investigated the mechanism underlying regulation of the cell growth by MIF. WaM2 cells produced less MIF than vector control or parental WEHI-231 cells. Reduced and increased proportions were seen in G1 and S-phase cells, respectively, in WaM2 as compared with WEHI-231. Growth arrest and apoptosis after stimulation via surface Ig (sIg) were less prominent in WaM2 cells than those in WEHI-231. However, the addition of recombinant rat MIF did not reverse the inhibition of the growth arrest and apoptosis induced in WaM2 by cross-linking sIg. Almost the same amount of p27kip1 expression was detected in WaM2 cells as those in WEHI-231 and vector control cells. Cross-linking of sIg elevated the p27kip1 level equally in these cells irrespective of the MIF-antisense expression. Taken together, it seems that MIF plays a role in inducing apoptosis in B cells upon IgM cross-linking by regulating the cell cycle via a novel intracellular pathway.     

Phytoplankton ecology along the French coasts: inter-site comparison

The aim of this study is to characterize the large-scale geographical structures of microphytoplankton communities along French coasts. Once the temporal variability component shared by all sampled coastal sites was identified, and seasonal succession of microphytoplankton communities was described. A between-site analysis, using multiable comparison methods (STATIS), allowed the identification of three large areas according to the temporal variability patterns of microphytoplankton populations. The results indicate that the hydrodynamic characteristics of the different areas play a major role in the geographical structure of microalgal populations in mainland French coastal waters.     

Opioid and Cannabinoid Receptors Share a Common Pool of GTP-Binding Proteins in Cotransfected Cells, But Not in Cells Which Endogenously Coexpress the Receptors

1. Opioid (, , ) and cannabinoid (CB1, CB2) receptors are coupled mainly toG_i/G_o GTP-binding proteins. The goal of the present study was to determine whether different subtypes of opioid and cannabinoid receptors, when coexpressed in the same cell, share a common reservoir, or utilize different pools, of G proteins.2. The stimulation of [³⁵S]GTPS binding by selective opioid and cannabinoid agonists was tested in transiently transfected COS-7 cells, as well as in neuroblastoma cell lines. In COS-7 cells, cotransfection of - and -opioid receptors led to stimulation of [³⁵S]GTPS binding by either -selective (DAMGO) or -selective (DPDPE) agonists. The combined effect of the two agonists was similar to the effect of either DAMGO or DPDPE alone, suggesting the activation of a common G-protein reservoir by the two receptor subtypes.3. The same phenomenon was observed when COS-7 cells were cotransfected with CB1 cannabinoid receptors and either - or -opioid receptors.4. On the other hand, in N18TG2 neuroblastoma cells, which endogenously coexpress CB1 and -opioid receptors, as well as in SK-N-SH neuroblastoma cells, which coexpress - and -opioid receptors, the combined effects of the various agonists (the selective cannabinoid DALN and the selective opioids DPDPE and DAMGO) were additive, implying the activation of different pools of G proteins by each receptorsubtype.5. These results suggest a fundamental difference between native and artificially transfected cells regarding the compartmentalization of receptors and GTP-binding proteins.     

用于核酸递送的GSH响应型纳米粒构建

摘要 目的：核酸治疗近年来越来越受到关注,但是核酸药物易被快速清除、易被核酸酶降解、非特异性生物分布、以及不易被细胞摄取的缺点使其在体内难以发挥效果。本文提供了一种具有谷胱甘肽（GSH）响应性释放的纳米粒,能够进行有效核酸药物递送。方法：使用十六烷基三甲基氯化铵（CTAC）制备介孔硅纳米粒,在介孔硅纳米粒表面进行巯基修饰并活化,使其与巯基修饰的聚丙烯亚胺和聚乙二醇反应,形成具有GSH响应的介孔硅纳米粒,通过静电吸附进行核酸荷载。马尔文粒度仪测量表面电位、粒径,透射电镜观察纳米粒形态。核酸电泳检测其核酸负载效率,通过体外检测GSH响应释放聚乙烯亚胺（PEI）情况,共聚焦显微镜观察细胞摄取以及溶酶体逃逸情况。结果：成功构建了具有GSH响应的纳米粒,粒径为76.44±1.68 nm,表面电位为33.93±0.59 mV;通过透射电镜观察到纳米粒呈圆形带孔颗粒状;琼脂糖核酸负载试验观察到当氮磷比大于20时,能够有效进行核酸负载。共聚焦显微镜显示该纳米粒能够成功被MDA-MB-231乳腺癌细胞摄取。在溶酶体逃逸试验中观察到纳米粒进入细胞后3 h,Cy5-siRNA与溶酶体的荧光分离,证明构建的纳米粒成功从溶酶体逃脱。结论：成功构建了具有GSH响应的介孔硅纳米粒,能够有效用于核酸递送。     

Intracellular accumulation of a mild-denatured monomer of the human PrP fragment 90-231, as possible mechanism of its neurotoxic effects

Because of high tendency of the prion protein (PrP) to aggregate, the exact PrP isoform responsible for prion diseases as well as the pathological mechanism that it activates remains still controversial. In this study, we show that a pre-fibrillar, monomeric or small oligomeric conformation of the human PrP fragment 90–231 (hPrP90–231), rather than soluble or fibrillar large aggregates, represents the neurotoxic species. In particular, we demonstrate that monomeric mild-denatured hPrP90–231 (incubated for 1 h at 53°C) induces SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cell death, while, when structured in large aggregates, it is ineffective. Using spectroscopic and cellular techniques we demonstrate that this toxic conformer is characterized by a high exposure of hydrophobic regions that favors the intracellular accumulation of the protein. Inside the cells hPrP90–231 is mainly compartmentalized into the lysosomes where it may trigger pro-apoptotic 'cell death' signals. The PrP toxic conformation, which we have obtained inducing a controlled in vitro conformational change of the protein, might mimic mild-unfolding events occurring in vivo, in the presence of specific mutations, oxidative reactions or proteolysis. Thus, in light of this model, we propose that novel therapeutic strategies, designed to inhibit the interaction of the toxic PrP with the plasmamembrane, could be beneficial to prevent the formation of intracellular neurotoxic aggregates and ultimately the neuronal death.