Activating Autophagy Enhanced the Antitumor Effect of Antibody Drug Conjugates Rituximab-Monomethyl Auristatin E.

Background: Antibody drug conjugate (ADC) showed potent therapeutic efficacy in several types of cancers. The role of autophagy in antitumor effects of ADC remains unclear. Methods: In this study, the ADC, Rituximab-monomethyl auristatin E (MMAE) with a Valine-Citrulline cleavable linker, was designed to investigate its therapeutic efficacy against non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) as well as the underlying mechanisms. Methylthiazolyldiphenyl-tetrazolium bromide (MTT) was used to detect growth inhibition in B-cell lymphoma cell lines, Ramos and Daudi cells, which were treated by Rituximab-MMAE alone or combined with autophagy conditioner. Apoptosis was detected by flow cytometry and immunohistochemistry, and apoptosis inhibitor was employed to discover the relationship between autophagy and apoptosis during the Rituximab-MMAE treatment. Autophagy was determined by three standard techniques which included confocal microscope, transmission electron microscope, and western blots. Ramos xenograft tumors in BALB/c nude mice were established to investigate the antitumor effect of combination use of Rituximab-MMAE and autophagy conditioner in B-NHL therapy. Results: Our results showed that Rituximab-MMAE elicited caspase-3-dependent apoptosis in NHL cells and exhibited potent therapeutic efficacy in vivo. Autophagy, which was characterized by upregulated light chain 3-II expression, and accumulation of autophagosomes, was triggered during the Rituximab-MMAE treatment. Meanwhile, inactivation of Akt/mTOR pathway was shown to be involved in the autophagy triggered by Rituximab-MMAE, indicating a probable mechanism of the ADC-initiated autophagy. Importantly, inhibition of autophagy by chloroquine suppressed the Rituximab-MMAE-induced apoptosis, while activating autophagy by rapamycin significantly enhanced the therapeutic effect of Rituximab-MMAE both in vitro and in vivo. Conclusion: Our data elucidated the critical relationship between autophagy and apoptosis in Rituximab-MMAE-based therapy and highlighted the potential approach for NHL therapy by combined administration of the ADC and autophagy activator.

First report of Hepatozoon (Apicomplexa: Adeleorina) from king ratsnakes (Elaphe carinata) in Shanghai, with description of a new species.

Hepatozoon species are the most common hemoparasites of snakes. In this study, Hepatozoon parasites were examined for the first time in king rat snakes (Elaphe carinata) from Shanghai, China. All 10 snakes were found to be infected with Hepatozoon gamonts. The gamonts were folded back in a hook-wise fashion for about 3 µm at one end. Parasitemia levels ranged from 4-43 infected erythrocytes per 1,000 examined. The gamonts changed the morphology of the parasitized erythrocytes. Although the gamonts showed some distinct variations in both the parasite and its nucleus, phylogenetic analysis indicated that all the E. carinata in this study formed a monophyletic group, and were distinct from all other published Hepatozoon species. A new species, Hepatozoon chinensis, was proposed based on the molecular and morphologic evidence.

Molecular cloning and characterization of lactate dehydrogenase gene from Eimeria tenella.

Lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) is a key enzyme in the glycolytic pathway and is crucial for parasite survival. In this study, we cloned and expressed the LDH of Eimeria tenella (EtLDH). Real-time polymerase chain reaction and Western blot analysis revealed that the expression of EtLDH was developmentally regulated at the messenger RNA (mRNA) and protein levels. EtLDH mRNA levels were higher in second-generation merozoites than in other developmental stages (unsporulated oocysts, sporulated oocysts, and sporozoites). EtLDH protein expression levels were most prominent in second-generation merozoites, moderately expressed in unsporulated oocysts and sporulated oocysts, and weakly detected in sporozoites. Immunostaining with anti-recombinant EtLDH (rEtLDH) antibody indicated that EtLDH was mainly located in the anterior region in free sporozoites and became concentrated in the anterior region of intracellular sporozoites except for the apex after invasion into DF-1 cells. Specific staining of EtLDH protein was more intense in trophozoites and immature first-generation schizonts, but decreased in mature first-generation schizonts. Inhibition of EtLDH function using specific antibodies cannot efficiently reduce the ability of E. tenella sporozoites to invade host cells. These results suggest that EtLDH may be involved in glycolysis during the first-generation merogony stage in E. tenella and has little role in host invasion.

Identification and characterization of an Eimeria-conserved protein in Eimeria tenella.

The precocious lines of Eimeria spp. have unique phenotypes. However, the genetic basis of the precocious phenotype is still poorly understood. The identification of Eimeria genes controlling the precocious phenotype is of immense importance in the fight against coccidiosis. In the present study, a novel gene of Eimeria maxima was cloned using rapid amplification of cDNA ends (RACE) based on the expressed sequence tag (EST). Homologous genes were also found in Eimeria tenella and Eimeria acervulina. Alignment of the amino acid sequences from E. tenella, E. maxima, and E. acervulina showed 80-86 % identity, demonstrating a conserved protein in different Eimeria spp. This gene, designated Eimeria-conserved protein (ECP), contained 235 amino acids with a predicted molecular mass of 25.4 kDa and had 100 % identity with one annotated protein from E. maxima (Emax_0517). Real-time PCR and Western blot analysis revealed that the expression of ECP at mRNA and protein level in E. tenella is developmentally regulated. Messenger RNA levels from the ECP gene were higher in sporozoites than in other developmental stages (unsporulated oocysts, sporulated oocysts, and second-generation merozoites). Expression of ECP protein was detected in unsporulated oocysts, increased in abundance in sporulated oocysts, and was most prominent in sporozoites. Thereafter, the level of the ECP protein decreased, and no ECP-specific protein was detected in second-generation merozoites. Immunostaining with anti-rECP indicated that ECP is highly concentrated in both refractile bodies (RB) of free sporozoites, but is located at the apical end of the sporozoites after invasion of DF-1 cells. The specific staining of the ECP protein becomes more intense in trophozoites and immature first-generation schizonts, but decreases in mature first-generation schizonts. Inhibition of the function of ECP using specific antibodies reduced the ability of E. tenella sporozoites to invade host cells. Compared with the parent strain, both mRNA and protein expression levels in the sporulated oocyst were downregulated in the precocious line of E. tenella. These results suggest that ECP may be involved in invasion and development of the first-generation merogony stage of E. tenella. Findings of downregulation of ECP mRNA and protein expression in the precocious line enrich the study of the precocious phenotype of Eimeria.