Role of estrogen receptor—related antigen in initiating the growth of human glioma cells

2004 ◽  
Vol 100 (5) ◽  
pp. 923-930 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Humayun Khalid ◽  
Shobu Shibata ◽  
Koichi Furukawa ◽  
Amal Nadel ◽  
Matthew D. Ammerman ◽  
...  

Object. The expression of estrogen receptor—related antigen (ER-D5) has been demonstrated in many tumors, including those of the brain, but the actual role of ER-D5 in cell growth is unknown. The authors evaluated the role of ER-D5 in the growth of gliomas in vitro. Methods. Human glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) cell lines A172, T98G, U87MG, and U118MG; rat C6 glioma and 9L gliosarcoma; AS human astrocytoma; GBM in primary culture and tumor tissues; and normal brain tissues were examined for ER-D5 by using immunohistochemical, Western immunoblot, flow cytometry, and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. The ER-D5 was detected in all tumor cell types of human origin, but not in rat cell lines and normal brain; the expression of ER-D5 was not related to cell cycle phase. Kinetic analysis of ER-D5 expression in cultured cell lines revealed that an enhanced and sharp accumulation of ER-D5 occurred during the first 24 hours of culture, followed by a sharp fall in the next 24 hours. Gradual decreases of ER-D5 during the subsequent days were demonstrated in all human cell lines, and in primary cultures of GBM. This accumulation pattern of ER-D5 was confirmed on Western blot analysis. The ER-D5 was also detected in cells cultured in serum-free medium. Culture cells were treated with D5 antibody against ER-D5 for 48 hours and the effects were evaluated using a monotetrazolium colorimetric assay; the result revealed that growth of cultured cells was inhibited in a dose-dependent manner, and that addition of a single median inhibitory concentration dose resulted in complete growth inhibition and arrest of cell growth at the G0/G1 phase at 96 hours posttreatment. Conclusions. These findings indicated that synthesis and accumulation of ER-D5 is an essential event in the very early phase of in vitro growth of human gliomas.

2005 ◽  
Vol 102 (6) ◽  
pp. 1101-1107 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hartmut Vatter ◽  
Michael Zimmermann ◽  
Veronika Tesanovic ◽  
Andreas Raabe ◽  
Lothar Schilling ◽  
...  

Object. The central role of endothelin (ET)—1 in the development of cerebral vasospasm after subarachnoid hemorrhage is indicated by the successful treatment of this vasospasm in several animal models by using selective ETA receptor antagonists. Clazosentan is a selective ETA receptor antagonist that provides for the first time clinical proof that ET-1 is involved in the pathogenesis of cerebral vasospasm. The aim of the present investigation was, therefore, to define the pharmacological properties of clazosentan that affect ETA receptor—mediated contraction in the cerebrovasculature. Methods. Isometric force measurements were performed in rat basilar artery (BA) ring segments with (E+) and without (E−) endothelial function. Concentration effect curves (CECs) were constructed by cumulative application of ET-1 or big ET-1 in the absence or presence of clazosentan (10−9, 10−8, and 10−7 M). The inhibitory potency of clazosentan was determined by the value of the affinity constant (pA2). The CECs for contraction induced by ET-1 and big ET-1 were shifted to the right in the presence of clazosentan in a parallel dose-dependent manner, which indicates competitive antagonism. The pA2 values for ET-1 were 7.8 (E+) and 8.6 (E−) and the corresponding values for big ET-1 were 8.6 (E+) and 8.3 (E−). Conclusions. The present data characterize clazosentan as a potent competitive antagonist of ETA receptor—mediated constriction of the cerebrovasculature by ET-1 and its precursor big ET-1. These functional data may also be used to define an in vitro profile of an ET receptor antagonist with a high probability of clinical efficacy.


2005 ◽  
Vol 102 (1) ◽  
pp. 98-108 ◽  
Author(s):  
Todd M. Savarese ◽  
Taichang Jang ◽  
Hoi Pang Low ◽  
Rebecca Salmonsen ◽  
N. Scott Litofsky ◽  
...  

Object. Brain tumors, including gliomas, develop several months after rats are exposed in utero to N-ethyl-N-nitrosourea (ENU). Although pathological changes cannot be detected until these animals are several weeks old, the process that eventually leads to glioma formation must begin soon after exposure given the rapid clearance of the carcinogen and the observation that transformation of brain cells isolated soon after exposure occasionally occurs. This model can therefore potentially provide useful insights about the early events that precede overt glioma formation. The authors hypothesized that future glioma cells arise from stem/progenitor cells residing in or near the subventricular zone (SVZ) of the brain. Methods. Cells obtained from the SVZ or corpus striatum in ENU-exposed and control rats were cultured in an epidermal growth factor (EGF)-containing, chemically defined medium. Usually, rat SVZ cells cultured in this manner (neurospheres) are nestin-positive, undifferentiated, and EGF-dependent and undergo cell senescence. Consistent with these prior observations, control SVZ cells undergo senescence by the 12th to 15th doubling (20 of 20 cultures). In contrast, three of 15 cultures of cells derived from the SVZs of individual ENU-treated rats continue to proliferate for more than 60 cell passages. Each of these nestin-expressing immortalized cell lines harbored a common homozygous deletion spanning the INK4a/ARF locus and was unable to differentiate into neural lineages after exposure to specific in vitro stimuli. Nevertheless, unlike the rat C6 glioma cell line, these immortalized cell lines demonstrate EGF dependence and low clonogenicity in soft agar and did not form tumors after intracranial transplantation. Conclusions. Data in this study indicated that immortalized cells may represent glioma precursors that reside in the area of the SVZ after ENU exposure that may serve as a reservoir for further genetic and epigenetic hits that could eventually result in a full glioma phenotype.


Cancers ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 345
Author(s):  
Xi-Feng Jin ◽  
Gerald Spöttl ◽  
Julian Maurer ◽  
Svenja Nölting ◽  
Christoph Josef Auernhammer

Background and aims: Inhibition of Wnt/β-catenin signaling by specific inhibitors is currently being investigated as an antitumoral strategy for various cancers. The role of Wnt/β-catenin signaling in neuroendocrine tumors still needs to be further investigated. Methods: This study investigated the antitumor activity of the porcupine (PORCN) inhibitor WNT974 and the β-catenin inhibitor PRI-724 in human neuroendocrine tumor (NET) cell lines BON1, QGP-1, and NCI-H727 in vitro. NET cells were treated with WNT974, PRI-724, or small interfering ribonucleic acids against β-catenin, and subsequent analyses included cell viability assays, flow cytometric cell cycle analysis, caspase3/7 assays and Western blot analysis. Results: Treatment of NET cells with WNT974 significantly reduced NET cell viability in a dose- and time-dependent manner by inducing NET cell cycle arrest at the G1 and G2/M phases without inducing apoptosis. WNT974 primarily blocked Wnt/β-catenin signaling by the dose- and time-dependent downregulation of low-density lipoprotein receptor-related protein 6 (LRP6) phosphorylation and non-phosphorylated β-catenin and total β-catenin, as well as the genes targeting the latter (c-Myc and cyclinD1). Furthermore, the WNT974-induced reduction of NET cell viability occurred through the inhibition of GSK-3-dependent or independent signaling (including pAKT/mTOR, pEGFR and pIGFR signaling). Similarly, treatment of NET cells with the β-catenin inhibitor PRI-724 caused significant growth inhibition, while the knockdown of β-catenin expression by siRNA reduced NET tumor cell viability of BON1 cells but not of NCI-H727 cells. Conclusions: The PORCN inhibitor WNT974 possesses antitumor properties in NET cell lines by inhibiting Wnt and related signaling. In addition, the β-catenin inhibitor PRI-724 possesses antitumor properties in NET cell lines. Future studies are needed to determine the role of Wnt/β-catenin signaling in NET as a potential therapeutic target.


Blood ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 110 (11) ◽  
pp. 2525-2525
Author(s):  
Marc S. Raab ◽  
Iris Breitkreutz ◽  
Podar Klaus ◽  
Jing Zhang ◽  
Simona Blotta ◽  
...  

Abstract Multitargeted treatment approaches have been shown to be more effective than single agent therapy in multiple myeloma (MM). In addition, agents targeting not only the MM cells directly but also their microenvironment, like bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs), endothelial cells, and osteoclasts (OCLs) causing enhancement of tumor cell growth, angiogenesis, and MM bone disease, respectively, are promising new treatment modalities for this still non-curable disease.Here we investigated the novel, orally available multi-kinase inhibitor BAY 73-4506, currently in phase I clinical trials, for its therapeutic effect in MM. BAY is a potent inhibitor of angiogenic (VEGFR 1-3, PDGFR-b), as well as oncogenic, kinases (cKIT, RET, FGFR, Raf). We first tested the ability of BAY to suppress MM cell proliferation and survival in a wide array of MM cell lines (MM.1S, RPMI 8226, NCI H929, OPM2, KMS11, KMS 18, INA6, U266, KMS12BM, S6B45), including those resistant to conventional chemotherapeutics (MM.1R, Dox40, LR5). Our data show that BAY is active in all cell lines tested in a low micromolar range equivalent to concentrations achieved in patient plasma during the first clinical trial in solid tumors. Importantly, BAY also overcomes the growth advantage conferred in a BMSC-MM, as well as an endothelial cell-MM, coculture system. BAY treatment abrogates MEK, ERK and AKT phosphorylation in a time and dose dependent manner, followed by induction of apoptosis, evidenced by Annexin staining and DNA fragmentation. Since VEGF signaling pathway is a potent inducer of angiogenesis and BAY targets VEGFR 1-3, we examined anti-angiogenic properties of BAY. This compound inhibits endothelial cell growth and endothelial cell tubuli formation in vitro at concentrations less than 1mM; moreover, BAY markedly inhibits the VEGF-induced cell migration on fibronectin. Activation of MAP kinase is a critical event during OCL differentiation, activation, and survival; BAY inhibits osteoclastogenesis, evidenced by blockade of M-CSF/RANKL-triggered differentiation of mononuclear cells to TRAP-positive osteoclasts, an important marker of osteoclastogenesis. Finally, combination treatment of BAY with dexamethasone shows synergistic effects on MM cell growth and survival. These in vitro experiments on the effects of BAY on MM tumor cells directly, in co-culture with endothelial or BMSCs, as well as on osteoclast differentiation, provides the basis for its evaluation in a murine model of human MM to confirm these promising in vitro effects of this novel multi-kinase inhibitor, finally leading to clinical evaluation to improve patient outcome.


2002 ◽  
Vol 96 (5) ◽  
pp. 909-917 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shoichi Nagai ◽  
Kazuo Washiyama ◽  
Masanori Kurimoto ◽  
Akira Takaku ◽  
Shunro Endo ◽  
...  

Object. It has been suggested that nuclear factor (NF)-κB, a pleiotropic transcription factor, controls cell proliferation. The authors examined NF-κB activity and its participation in the growth of human malignant astrocytoma. Methods. The authors examined NF-κB activity in human malignant astrocytoma cell lines and high-grade astrocytoma tissues by using electrophoretic mobility shift assays and immunohistochemical studies, respectively. In addition, messenger (m)RNA expression of p50 and RelA, which are representative subunits of NF-κB, and IκBα, which is a representative inhibitory protein of NF-κB, were analyzed using Northern blot hybridization in the astrocytoma cell lines. Furthermore, alterations in DNA synthesis and cell growth in the astrocytoma cell lines were examined after inhibition of NF-κB activity by RelA antisense oligodeoxynucleotide. The authors found NF-κB activity in all astrocytoma cell lines and high-grade astrocytoma tissues that were examined, but not in the fetal astrocyte strain or in normal cerebral tissue. Expression of p50, RelA, and IκBα mRNA was found in the fetal astrocyte strain and normal adult brain tissue, in addition to the astrocytoma cell lines. The relative levels of expression of these mRNAs were similar among these cell lines, the cell strain, and normal tissue. The RelA antisense oligodeoxynucleotide specifically reduced the levels of RelA mRNA expression and NF-κB activity in the astrocytoma cell lines, thus significantly inhibiting their DNA synthesis and cell growth. Conclusions. Human malignant astrocytoma cells have aberrant NF-κB activity, which promotes their growth. This activity is not associated with aberrant expression of p50 and RelA.


BMC Cancer ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nagendra K. Chaturvedi ◽  
Sidharth Mahapatra ◽  
Varun Kesherwani ◽  
Matthew J. Kling ◽  
Mamta Shukla ◽  
...  

Abstract Background MYC amplification or overexpression is common in Group 3 medulloblastoma and is associated with the worst prognosis. Recently, protein arginine methyl transferase (PRMT) 5 expression has been closely associated with aberrant MYC function in various cancers, including brain tumors such as glioblastoma. However, the role of PRMT5 and its association with MYC in medulloblastoma have not been explored. Here, we report the role of PRMT5 as a novel regulator of MYC and implicate PRMT5 as a potential therapeutic target in MYC-driven medulloblastoma. Methods Expression and association between PRMT5 and MYC in primary medulloblastoma tumors were investigated using publicly available databases. Expression levels of PRMT5 protein were also examined using medulloblastoma cell lines and primary tumors by western blotting and immunohistochemistry, respectively. Using MYC-driven medulloblastoma cells, we examined the physical interaction between PRMT5 and MYC by co-immunoprecipitation and co-localization experiments. To determine the functional role of PRMT5 in MYC-driven medulloblastoma, PRMT5 was knocked-down in MYC-amplified cells using siRNA and the consequences of knockdown on cell growth and MYC expression/stability were investigated. In vitro therapeutic potential of PRMT5 in medulloblastoma was also evaluated using a small molecule inhibitor, EPZ015666. Results We observed overexpression of PRMT5 in MYC-driven primary medulloblastoma tumors and cell lines compared to non-MYC medulloblastoma tumors and adjacent normal tissues. We also found that high expression of PRMT5 is inversely correlated with patient survival. Knockdown of PRMT5 using siRNA in MYC-driven medulloblastoma cells significantly decreased cell growth and MYC expression. Mechanistically, we found that PRMT5 physically associated with MYC by direct protein-protein interaction. In addition, a cycloheximide chase experiment showed that PRMT5 post-translationally regulated MYC stability. In the context of therapeutics, we observed dose-dependent efficacy of PRMT5 inhibitor EPZ015666 in suppressing cell growth and inducing apoptosis in MYC-driven medulloblastoma cells. Further, the expression levels of PRMT5 and MYC protein were downregulated upon EPZ015666 treatment. We also observed a superior efficacy of this inhibitor against MYC-amplified medulloblastoma cells compared to non-MYC-amplified medulloblastoma cells, indicating specificity. Conclusion Our results reveal the regulation of MYC oncoprotein by PRMT5 and suggest that targeting PRMT5 could be a potential therapeutic strategy for MYC-driven medulloblastoma.


1994 ◽  
Vol 81 (2) ◽  
pp. 261-266 ◽  
Author(s):  
Toshiki Aoki ◽  
Katsunobu Takenaka ◽  
Satoshi Suzuki ◽  
Neal F. Kassell ◽  
Oren Sagher ◽  
...  

✓ The importance of factors within hemolysate in modulating oxyhemoglobin (oxyHb)-induced contraction was examined in an in vitro model of rabbit basilar arteries. When the basilar arteries were exposed to purified oxyHb alone, the contractile response observed was significantly weaker than that seen in arteries exposed to hemolysate containing an equal concentration of oxyHb. In order to delineate the nature of the factors within hemolysate that facilitate contraction, hemolysate was fractionated, and various components were tested individually for their ability to elicit this effect. A low-molecular-weight fraction of hemolysate, ranging from 0.5 to 2.0 kD, elicited only a mild contraction. However, when this fraction was combined with purified oxyHb, the contractile response was comparable in magnitude to that of unfractionated hemolysate. These studies confirm that purified oxyHb is capable of inducing contraction in vitro. The data also demonstrate that oxyHb elicits a significantly weaker contraction than does hemolysate. In addition, the results suggest that low-molecular-weight components in hemolysate (in the 0.5- to 2.0-kD range), while incapable of inducing a potent contraction alone, may act in concert with oxyHb to elicit the vasoconstriction seen following subarachnoid hemorrhage.


1997 ◽  
Vol 86 (3) ◽  
pp. 525-531 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel L. Silbergeld ◽  
Michael R. Chicoine

✓ Brain invasion prevents complete surgical extirpation of malignant gliomas; however, invasive cells from distant, histologically normal brain previously have not been isolated, cultured, and characterized. To evaluate invasive human malignant glioma cells, the authors established cultures from gross tumor and histologically normal brain. Three men and one woman, with a mean age of 67 years, underwent two frontal and two temporal lobectomies for tumors, which yielded specimens of both gross tumor and histologically normal brain. Each specimen was acquired a minimum of 4 cm from the gross tumor. The specimens were split: a portion was sent for neuropathological evaluation (three glioblastomas multiforme and one oligodendroglioma) and a portion was used to establish cell lines. Morphologically, the specimens of gross tumor and histologically normal brain were identical in three of the four cell culture pairs. Histochemical staining characteristics were consistent both within each pair and when compared with the specimens sent for neuropathological evaluation. Cultures demonstrated anchorage-independent growth in soft agarose and neoplastic karyotypes. Growth rates in culture were greater for histologically normal brain than for gross tumor in three of the four culture pairs. Although the observed increases in growth rates of histologically normal brain cultures do not correlate with in vivo behavior, these findings corroborate the previously reported stem cell potential of invasive glioma cells. Using the radial dish assay, no significant differences in motility between cultures of gross tumor and histologically normal brain were found. In summary, tumor cells were cultured from histologically normal brain acquired from a distance greater than 4 cm from the gross tumor, indicating the relative insensitivity of standard histopathological identification of invasive glioma cells (and hence the inadequacy of frozen-section evaluation of resection margins). Cell lines derived from gross tumor and histologically normal brain were usually histologically identical and demonstrated equivalent motility, but had different growth rates.


1998 ◽  
Vol 89 (3) ◽  
pp. 441-447 ◽  
Author(s):  
Svein J. T. Nygaard ◽  
Hans K. R. Haugland ◽  
Ole Didrik Laerum ◽  
Morten Lund-Johansen ◽  
Rolf Bjerkvig ◽  
...  

Object. The goal of this study was to evaluate whether there is any relationship between survival of patients with brain tumor and tumor proliferation or tumor invasion in vitro. Methods. Samples of freshly resected brain tumors from 14 patients with glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) were directly grown as three-dimensional multicellular spheroids. The tumor spheroids were cocultured with fetal rat brain cell aggregates (BCAs), used to represent an organotypical normal brain tissue model. Before the coculture, the tumor spheroids and the BCAs were stained with two different carbocyanine dyes, 1,1′-dioctadecyl-3,3,3′,3′-tetramethylindocarbocyanine perchlorate (DiI) and 3,3′-dioctadecycloxacarbocyanine perchlorate (DiO), respectively. During the coculture, confocal laser scanning microscopy allowed a sequential analysis of tumor cell invasion by visualizing dynamic aspects of the invasive process. Single cocultures were examined at three different time points (24, 48, and 96 hours). During the observation period there was a change in the structural morphology of the cocultures, with a progressive decrease in BCA volume. Furthermore, the scanning confocal micrographs revealed a bidirectional movement of tumor cells and normal cells into brain and tumor tissue, respectively. It is also shown that there is a considerable variation in the rate of BCA destruction in cocultures of glioma spheroids generated directly from biopsy specimens. This variation is seen both between spheroids generated from the same biopsy as well as between spheroids that are grown from different biopsy specimens. Cell proliferation measured by Ki-67 immunohistochemical analysis of biopsy samples obtained in the same patients revealed a correlation between tumor cell proliferation and tissue destruction of the BCAs, as determined by a reduction in BCA volume (p = 0.0338). No correlation was found when survival was related to the same parameters (p > 0.05). Conclusions. The present work provides a model for quick and efficient assessment of dynamic interactions between tumor and normal brain tissue shortly after surgery.


1990 ◽  
Vol 73 (3) ◽  
pp. 436-440 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jun-ichi Kuratsu ◽  
Yukitaka Ushio

✓ Platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) is produced by glioma cells. However, there is heterogeneity among glioma cell lines in the production of PDGF. It has been demonstrated that U251MG cells produce a PDGF-like molecule while U105MG cells do not. Trapidil, a specific antagonist of PDGF, competes for receptor binding with PDGF. Therefore, the inhibitory effect of trapidil on the proliferation of glioma cells was investigated in vitro using two glioma cell lines. At 100 µg/ml, trapidil significantly inhibited the proliferation of U251MG cells (which produce the PDGF-like molecule). At the same trapidil concentration, the proliferation of U105MG cells (which do not produce the PDGF-like molecule) was not inhibited. The inhibitory effect of trapidil was remarkable on Days 3 and 4 of culture. After 4 days of incubation, the proliferation of U251MG cells was 46% of the control preparation. Trapidil enhanced the antitumor effect of 3-((4-amino-2-methyl-5-pyrimidinyl)ethyl)-1-(2-chloroethyl)-1-nitro-sourea (ACNU) against U251MG cells. The enhancing effect was highest on Days 4 and 6 of culture. After 6 days of incubation in the presence of 100 µg/ml trapidil and 1 µg/ml ACNU, the proliferation of U251MG cells was 18% of the control preparation. These findings suggest that trapidil interrupts the autocrine loop at the PDGF and PDGF-receptor level and that combination therapy with trapidil and ACNU may be useful in the treatment of glioma.


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