scholarly journals Checkpoint Kinase 1 Pharmacological Inhibition Synergizes with DNA-Damaging Agents and Overcomes Platinum Resistance in Basal-Like Breast Cancer

2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (23) ◽  
pp. 9034
Author(s):  
Cristina Nieto-Jimenez ◽  
Ana Alcaraz-Sanabria ◽  
Sandra Martinez-Canales ◽  
Veronica Corrales-Sanchez ◽  
Juan Carlos Montero ◽  
...  

Basal-like breast cancer is an incurable disease with limited therapeutic options, mainly due to the frequent development of anti-cancer drug resistance. Therefore, identification of druggable targets to improve current therapies and overcome these resistances is a major goal. Targeting DNA repair mechanisms has reached the clinical setting and several strategies, like the inhibition of the CHK1 kinase, are currently in clinical development. Here, using a panel of basal-like cancer cell lines, we explored the synergistic interactions of CHK1 inhibitors (rabusertib and SAR020106) with approved therapies in breast cancer and evaluated their potential to overcome resistance. We identified a synergistic action of these inhibitors with agents that produce DNA damage, like platinum compounds, gemcitabine, and the PARP inhibitor olaparib. Our results demonstrated that the combination of rabusertib with these chemotherapies also has a synergistic impact on tumor initiation, invasion capabilities, and apoptosis in vitro. We also revealed a biochemical effect on DNA damage and caspase-dependent apoptosis pathways through the phosphorylation of H2AX, the degradation of full-length PARP, and the increase of caspases 3 and 8 activity. This agent also demonstrated synergistic activity in a platinum-resistant cell line, inducing an increase in cell death in response to cisplatin only when combined with rabusertib, while no toxic effect was found on non-tumorigenic breast tissue-derived cell lines. Lastly, the combination of CHK1 inhibitor with cisplatin and gemcitabine resulted in more activity than single or double combinations, leading to a higher apoptotic effect. In conclusion, in our study we identify therapeutic options for the clinical development of CHK1 inhibitors, and confirm that the inhibition of this kinase can overcome acquired resistance to cisplatin.

2020 ◽  
pp. 72-82
Author(s):  
Mossa Gardaneh ◽  
Zahra Nayeri ◽  
Parvin Akbari ◽  
Mahsa Gardaneh ◽  
Hasan Tahermansouri

Background: We investigated molecular mechanisms behind astaxanthinmediated induction of apoptosis in breast cancer cell lines toward combination therapy against cancer drug resistance. Methods: Breast cancer cell lines were treated with serial concentrations of astaxanthin to determine its IC50. We used drug-design software to predict interactions between astaxanthin and receptor tyrosine kinases or other key gene products involved in intracellular signaling pathways. Changes in gene expression were examined using RT-PCR. The effect of astaxanthin-nanocarbons combinations on cancer cells was also evaluated. Results: Astaxanthin induced cell death in all three breast cancer cell lines was examined so that its IC50 in two HER2-amplifying lines SKBR3 and BT-474 stood, respectively, at 36 and 37 ?M; however, this figure for MCF-7 was significantly lowered to 23 ?M (P<0.05). Astaxanthin-treated SKBR3 cells showed apoptotic death upon co-staining. Our in silico examinations showed that some growth-promoting molecules are strongly bound by astaxanthin via their specific amino acid residues with their binding energy standing below -6 KCa/Mol. Next, astaxanthin was combined with either graphene oxide or carboxylated multi-walled carbon nanotube, with the latter affecting SKBR cell survival more extensively than the former (P<0.05). Finally, astaxanthin coinduced tumor suppressors p53 and PTEN but downregulated the expression of growth-inducing genes in treated cells. Conclusion: These findings indicate astaxanthin carries' multitarget antitumorigenic capacities and introduce the compound as a suitable candidate for combination therapy regimens against cancer growth and drug resistance. Development of animal models to elucidate interactions between the compound and tumor microenvironment could be a major step forward towards the inclusion of astaxanthin in cancer therapy trials.


2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew Tegowski ◽  
Cheng Fan ◽  
Albert S. Baldwin

AbstractSeveral recent publications demonstrated that DRD2-targeting antipsychotics such as thioridazine induce proliferation arrest and apoptosis in diverse cancer cell types including those derived from brain, lung, colon, and breast. While most studies show that 10–20 µM thioridazine leads to reduced proliferation or increased apoptosis, here we show that lower doses of thioridazine (1–2 µM) target the self-renewal of basal-like breast cancer cells, but not breast cancer cells of other subtypes. We also show that all breast cancer cell lines tested express DRD2 mRNA and protein, regardless of thioridazine sensitivity. Further, DRD2 stimulation with quinpirole, a DRD2 agonist, promotes self-renewal, even in cell lines in which thioridazine does not inhibit self-renewal. This suggests that DRD2 is capable of promoting self-renewal in these cell lines, but that it is not active. Further, we show that dopamine can be detected in human and mouse breast tumor samples. This observation suggests that dopamine receptors may be activated in breast cancers, and is the first time to our knowledge that dopamine has been directly detected in human breast tumors, which could inform future investigation into DRD2 as a therapeutic target for breast cancer.


2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura A. Baker ◽  
Christoph Krisp ◽  
Daniel Roden ◽  
Holly Holliday ◽  
Sunny Z. Wu ◽  
...  

AbstractBasal-like breast cancer (BLBC) is a poorly characterised, heterogeneous disease. Patients are diagnosed with aggressive, high-grade tumours and often relapse with chemotherapy resistance. Detailed understanding of the molecular underpinnings of this disease is essential to the development of personalised therapeutic strategies. Inhibitor of Differentiation 4 (ID4) is a helix-loop-helix transcriptional regulator required for mammary gland development. ID4 is overexpressed in a subset of BLBC patients, associating with a stem-like poor prognosis phenotype, and is necessary for the growth of cell line models of BLBC, through unknown mechanisms. Here, we have defined a molecular mechanism of action for ID4 in BLBC and the related disease highgrade serous ovarian cancer (HGSOV), by combining RIME proteomic analysis and ChIP-Seq mapping of genomic binding sites. Remarkably, these studies have revealed novel interactions with DNA damage response proteins, in particular, mediator of DNA damage checkpoint protein 1 (MDC1). Through MDC1, ID4 interacts with other DNA repair proteins (γH2AX and BRCA1) at fragile chromatin sites. ID4 does not affect transcription at these sites, instead binding to chromatin following DNA damage and regulating DNA damage signalling. Clinical analysis demonstrates that ID4 is amplified and overexpressed at a higher frequency in BRCA1-mutant BLBC compared with sporadic BLBC, providing genetic evidence for an interaction between ID4 and DNA damage repair pathways. These data link the interactions of ID4 with MDC1 to DNA damage repair in the aetiology of BLBC and HGSOV.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura A. Baker ◽  
Holly Holliday ◽  
Daniel Roden ◽  
Christoph Krisp ◽  
Sunny Z. Wu ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Basal-like breast cancer (BLBC) is a poorly characterised, heterogeneous disease. Patients are diagnosed with aggressive, high-grade tumours and often relapse with chemotherapy resistance. Detailed understanding of the molecular underpinnings of this disease is essential to the development of personalised therapeutic strategies. Inhibitor of Differentiation 4 (ID4) is a helix-loop-helix transcriptional regulator required for mammary gland development. ID4 is overexpressed in a subset of BLBC patients, associating with a stem-like poor prognosis phenotype, and is necessary for the growth of cell line models of BLBC, through unknown mechanisms. Methods Here, we have defined unique molecular insights into the function of ID4 in BLBC and the related disease high-grade serous ovarian cancer (HGSOC), by combining RIME proteomic analysis, ChIP-seq mapping of genomic binding sites and RNA-seq. Results These studies reveal novel interactions with DNA damage response proteins, in particular, mediator of DNA damage checkpoint protein 1 (MDC1). Through MDC1, ID4 interacts with other DNA repair proteins (γH2AX and BRCA1) at fragile chromatin sites. ID4 does not affect transcription at these sites, instead binding to chromatin following DNA damage. Analysis of clinical samples demonstrates that ID4 is amplified and overexpressed at a higher frequency in BRCA1 -mutant BLBC compared with sporadic BLBC, providing genetic evidence for an interaction between ID4 and DNA damage repair deficiency. Conclusions These data link the interactions of ID4 with MDC1 to DNA damage repair in the aetiology of BLBC and HGSOC.


2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (13) ◽  
pp. 1658-1669 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hakan Ünver ◽  
Burak Berber ◽  
Rasime Demirel ◽  
Ayşe T. Koparal

Background: Cancer is the second leading cause of death globally. Hydrazone and hydrazone derivatives have high activity, and for this reason, these compound are greatly used by researchers to synthesize new anti-cancer drug. The aim of this research work is to synthesize novel anticancer agents. Methods: New hydrazone derivatives were synthesized via a reaction between 3-formylphenyl methyl carbonate and benzhydrazide, 4-methylbenzoic hydrazide, 4-tert-butylbenzoic hydrazide, 4-nitrobenzoic hydrazide and 3- methoxybenzoic hydrazide, and were successfully characterized using elemental analysis, 1H-NMR, 13C-NMR, FT-IR and LC-MS techniques. The synthesized compounds were evaluated for their antimicrobial (some grampositive and -negative bacteria, filamentous fungi and yeasts), anti-proliferative (T47D and HCC1428-breast cancer cells) and anti-angiogenic (HUVEC-endothelial cells) activities. The anti-proliferative activities of the hydrazone compounds R1-R5 were studied on these cell lines by MTT assay. The anti-angiogenic potential of the compounds was determined by the endothelial tube formation assay. To identify structural features related to the anti-proliferative activity of these compounds, 2D-QSAR was performed. Results: The results indicated that compound R3 exhibited strong anti-angiogenic and anti-proliferative activity on breast cancer cell lines and healthy cell lines. Also, this compound; possessing a tertiary butyl moiety on the hydrazine, exhibited the highest inhibitory effect against all tested microorganisms; in particular, it inhibited Candida albicans at a lower concentration than ketoconazole. Among the investigated compounds, those bearing methyl, tertiary butyl (compound R2, R3) and methoxy (compound R5) moiety were found to be more successful anticandidal derivatives than standard antifungal antibiotics. The QSAR analysis suggested that the tumor specificity of the hydrazone correlated with their molecular weight, lipophilicity, molar refractivity, water solubility, DipolHybrid:(MOPAC) and ExchangeEnergy:(MOPAC). Absorption, Distribution, Metabolism and Elimination (ADME) analysis of the hydrazone compounds showed that they have favorable pharmacokinetic and drug-likeness properties. The ADME results clarify that R3 is the best compound in terms of pharmacokinetic properties. In contrast to other compounds; target prediction analysis of the compound R3 showed inhibitory activity on estrogen-related receptor alpha transcription factor (ESRRA). The target prediction analysis was supported by molinspiration bioactivity score. Conclusion: The R3 compound is considered to be an important candidate for future studies with its suitability for the Lipinski’s rule of five for drug-likeness, and effective in vitro and in silico results.


2011 ◽  
Vol 29 (27_suppl) ◽  
pp. 58-58
Author(s):  
A. Garcia-Villa

58 Background: Non-invasive methods to accurately measure DNA damage induced by PARP inhibitors in the tumors are crucial in identifying the optimal biological dose and schedule of these novel agents. With the use of an antibody that targets the histone H2AX, which becomes phosphorylated on serine residue 139 (γ-H2AX), it is possible to measure DNA DSB in the cell. But repeated biopsy in patients with metastatic breast cancer is not feasible. We propose here to quantify γ-H2AX in CTCs as a measurement of DNA damage in the tumor in patients receiving veliparib (ABT-888), an oral PARP inhibitor and carboplatin on a phase I study. Methods: CTCs were isolated in 10 mL of peripheral blood using negative selection with immunomagnetic tagging and removal of CD45 positive cells at 3 time points. Immunocytochemical staining for nucleus (DAPI), pan-cytokeratin CD45, and γ-H2AX was completed on available samples. Double staining for nucleus and cytokeratin with high nucleus to cytoplasm ratio defined a CTC. The γ-H2AX foci present in the nucleus of the CTCs will be counted by immunocytochemistry (ICC) analysis. Results: We negatively enriched blood sample from enrolled patients with metastatic breast cancer (n=6). CTCs were observed in all samples (55CTCs/mL of blood - 2000CTCs/mL of blood). Thus far 3 out of 6 patient samples have been analyzed. The number of CTCs per mL of blood after enrichment at baseline has a mean of 293, a median of 140 and a range of (684-140) At time point 1 the mean is 1071.33, the median is 1151 and the range is (1151-63). ICC analysis on the CTCs demonstrated the presence of γ-H2AX positive cells. Conclusions: Our novel negative depletion method for isolating CTCs allows for separation of a wider range of CTCs, since it does not assume presence of epithelial markers before separation. This leads to improved yield and purity allowing better ICC detection of various markers directly on CTCs. Development and validation of the above methodology to determine γ-H2AX foci in CTCs will help in identifying a novel, non-invasive biomarker that can be used to assess the effect of DNA damaging agents during therapy.


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