Fractionated Radiation Alters Oncomir and Tumor Suppressor miRNAs in Human Prostate Cancer Cells

We have previously demonstrated that prostate carcinoma cells exposed to fractionated radiation differentially expressed more genes compared to single-dose radiation. To understand the role of miRNA in regulation of radiation-induced gene expression, we analyzed miRNA expression in LNCaP, PC3 and DU145 prostate cancer cells treated with single-dose radiation and fractionated radiation by microarray. Selected miRNAs were studied in RWPE-1 normal prostate epithelial cells by RT-PCR. Fractionated radiation significantly altered more miRNAs as compared to single-dose radiation. Downregulation of oncomiR-17-92 cluster was observed only in the p53 positive LNCaP and RWPE-1 cells treated with single-dose radiation and fractionated radiation. Comparison of miRNA and mRNA data by IPA target filter analysis revealed an inverse correlation between miR-17-92 cluster and several targets including TP53INP1 in p53 signaling pathway. The base level expressions of these miRNAs were significantly different among the cell lines and did not predict the radiation outcome. Tumor suppressor miR-34a and let-7 miRNAs were upregulated by fractionated radiation in radiosensitive LNCaP (p53 positive) and PC3 (p53-null) cells indicating that radiation-induced miRNA expression may not be regulated by p53 alone. Our data support the potential for using fractionated radiation to induce molecular targets and radiation-induced miRNAs may have a significant role in predicting radiosensitivity.     

SslE Elicits Functional Antibodies That Impair In Vitro Mucinase Activity and In Vivo Colonization by Both Intestinal and Extraintestinal Escherichia coli Strains

SslE, the Secreted and surface-associated lipoprotein from Escherichia coli, has recently been associated to the M60-like extracellular zinc-metalloprotease sub-family which is implicated in glycan recognition and processing. SslE can be divided into two main variants and we recently proposed it as a potential vaccine candidate. By applying a number of in vitro bioassays and comparing wild type, knockout mutant and complemented strains, we have now demonstrated that SslE specifically contributes to degradation of mucin substrates, typically present in the intestine and bladder. Mutation of the zinc metallopeptidase motif of SslE dramatically impaired E. coli mucinase activity, confirming the specificity of the phenotype observed. Moreover, antibodies raised against variant I SslE, cloned from strain IHE3034 (SslE_IHE3034), are able to inhibit translocation of E. coli strains expressing different variants through a mucin-based matrix, suggesting that SslE induces cross-reactive functional antibodies that affect the metallopeptidase activity. To test this hypothesis, we used well-established animal models and demonstrated that immunization with SslE_IHE3034 significantly reduced gut, kidney and spleen colonization by strains producing variant II SslE and belonging to different pathotypes. Taken together, these data strongly support the importance of SslE in E. coli colonization of mucosal surfaces and reinforce the use of this antigen as a component of a broadly protective vaccine against pathogenic E. coli species.     

Myosin heavy chain turnover and glucocorticoid deterrence by exercise in muscle

This study was undertaken to determine whether regular endurance running, of the type known to attenuate glucocorticoid-induced muscle atrophy, produces a reversal of the glucocorticoid-mediated suppression of myosin heavy chain (MHC) synthesis. Female rats were arbitrarily assigned to one of four groups. There were two sedentary groups that received either a vehicle (1% aqueous carboxymethyl cellulose) or cortisol acetate (100 mg/kg body wt) for 11 consecutive days and two exercise (treadmill running 29 m/min, 90 min/day, for 11 consecutive days) groups that received the activity simultaneously with either vehicle or steroid treatments. Protein synthesis measurements were performed by constant infusion of [3H]leucine. Fractional synthesis rates of MHC were determined from the leucyl-tRNA precursor pool, which was similar in all groups (range 2.85 +/- 0.32 to 3.51 +/- 0.43 dpm/pmol). Exercise prevented 30% of the plantaris muscle mass loss as the result of cortisol acetate treatment. MHC synthesis rates (%/day) in plantaris muscles of sedentary animals were reduced by glucocorticoid treatment to 65% (6.2/9.5) of the vehicle-treated group. Exercise did not alter this depression of MHC synthesis. The combination of exercise and glucocorticoid treatment reduced the calculated MHC breakdown rate (%/day) to 80% (-8.0/-10.1) of the rate resulting from hormone treatment alone and 60% (-8.0/-13.3) of the rate resulting from exercise alone. These results show that endurance exercise does not reverse the glucocorticoid inhibition of MHC synthesis in muscle but may act through reducing MHC breakdown.     

mRNA Expression Profiles for Prostate Cancer following Fractionated Irradiation Are Influenced by p53 Status

We assessed changes in cell lines of varying p53 status after various fractionation regimens to determine if p53 influences gene expression and if multifractionated (MF) irradiation can induce molecular pathway changes. LNCaP (p53 wild-type), PC3 (p53 null), and DU145 (p53 mutant) prostate carcinoma cells received 5 and 10 Gy as single-dose (SD) or MF (0.5 Gy × 10, 1 Gy × 10, and 2 Gy × 5) irradiation to simulate hypofractionated and conventionally fractionated prostate radiotherapies, respectively. mRNA analysis revealed 978 LNCaP genes differentially expressed (greater than two-fold change, P < .05) after irradiation. Most were altered with SD (69%) and downregulated (75%). Fewer PC3 (343) and DU145 (116) genes were induced, with most upregulated (87%, 89%) and altered with MF irradiation. Gene ontology revealed immune response and interferon genes most prominently expressed after irradiation in PC3 and DU145. Cell cycle regulatory (P = 9.23 × 10^-73, 14.2% of altered genes, nearly universally downregulated) and DNA replication/repair (P = 6.86 × 10^-30) genes were most prominent in LNCaP. Stress response and proliferation genes were altered in all cell lines. p53-activated genes were only induced in LNCaP. Differences in gene expression exist between cell lines and after varying irradiation regimens that are p53 dependent. As the duration of changes is ≥24 hours, it may be possible to use radiation-inducible targeted therapy to enhance the efficacy of molecular targeted agents.     

Glucocorticoid-induced muscle atrophy prevention by exercise in fast-twitch fibers

Exercise has been shown to be effective in preventing glucocorticoid-induced atrophy in muscles containing high proportions of type II or fast-twitch fibers. This investigation was undertaken to further evaluate this response in type IIa and IIb fibers, determined by histochemical staining for myofibrillar adenosinetriphosphatase with alkaline and acid preincubation. Steroid [cortisol acetate (CA), 100 mg/kg body wt] and exercise (running 90 min/day, 29 m/min) treatments were initiated simultaneously for 11 consecutive days in female rats. Fiber distribution and area measurements were performed in a deep and superficial region of plantaris muscle. The exercise regimen spared approximately 40% of the CA-induced plantaris muscle atrophy. In the deep region, the fiber population, which contained approximately 13% type I (slow-twitch), 24% type IIa, and 63% IIb fibers, was not affected by either treatment. In the superficial section, which consisted solely of type II fibers, the proportion of type IIa fibers was higher (27 vs. 9%, P less than 0.01) in the steroid- than in the vehicle-treated groups. Within each region, type IIa fibers were less susceptible to atrophy than type IIb fibers, and within each fiber type, the deep region had less atrophy than the superficial region. Type I fibers were unchanged by steroid treatment. For type IIa fibers, exercise prevented 100% of the atrophy in the deep region and 50% in the superficial region. For type IIb fibers, the activity spared 67 and 40% of the atrophy in these same regions, respectively. These results show that glucocorticoids are capable of changing the myosin phenotype.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Glucocorticoid-receptor activation in hypertrophied skeletal muscle

This investigation was undertaken 1) to determine whether the increased glucocorticoid-receptor binding activities, observed in hypertrophied plantaris muscles, are associated with a reduced ability to undergo receptor activation and 2) to examine whether glucocorticoid-receptor complexes in hypertrophied muscles undergo a shift in the relative distribution of the two thermally activated receptor forms (termed binder II and corticosteroid binder IB) to a distribution that is found in slow-twitch or heart muscle types. Plantaris muscles of female adrenalectomized rats, enlarged by surgical removal of synergists, were 60% heavier and had higher glucocorticoid cytosol binding (125 +/- 14 vs. 79 +/- 8 fmol/mg protein) than these muscles of controls. Activation, which was quantitated by the ability of the steroid-receptor complex to bind to DNA, was similar in overloaded and control muscles (57 +/- 2 vs. 62 +/- 4%). Diethylaminoethyl-cellulose chromatography of activated receptors showed approximately 16% of the radioactivity appearing as binder II and 38% as binder IB in both hypertrophied and control muscles. These results show that although enlarged plantaris muscles are undergoing certain fast- to slow-twitch biochemical transformations, the activated glucocorticoid-receptor distribution does not shift to that observed in slow fibers.