Effects of natural 24-epibrassinolide on inducing apoptosis and restricting metabolism in hepatocarcinoma cells.

BACKGROUND: 24-epibrassinolide (EBR) is a ubiquitous steroidal phytohormone with anticancer activity. Yet the cytotoxic effects and mechanism of EBR on hepatocarcinoma (HCC) cells remain elusive. METHODS: Cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) assay was performed to evaluate cell viability. Real-time cell analysis (RTCA) technology and colony formation assays were used to evaluate cell proliferation. The apoptosis ratio was measured by flow cytometry. Seahorse XFe96 was applied to detect the effects of EBR on cellular bioenergetics. RNA-seq analysis was performed to investigate differences in gene expression profiles. Western blot and qRT-PCR were used to detect the changes in target molecules. RESULTS: EBR induced apoptosis and caused energy restriction in HCC, both of which were related to insulin-like growth factor-binding protein 1 (IGFBP1). EBR rapidly and massively induced IGBFP1, part of which was transcribed by activating transcription factor-4 (ATF4). The accumulation of secreted and cellular IGFBP1 had different important roles, in which secreted IGFBP1 affected cell energy metabolism by inhibiting the phosphorylation of Akt, while intracellular IGFBP1 acted as a pro-survival factor to resist apoptosis. Interestingly, the extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) inhibitor SCH772984 and MAP/ERK kinase (MEK) inhibitor PD98059 not only attenuated the EBR-induced IGFBP1 expression but also the basal expression of IGFBP1. Thus, the treatment of cells with these inhibitors further enhances the cytotoxicity of EBR. CONCLUSION: Taken together, these findings suggested that EBR can be considered as a potential therapeutic compound for HCC due to its pro-apoptosis, restriction of energy metabolism, and other anti-cancer properties. Meanwhile, the high expression of IGFBP1 induced by EBR in HCC contributes to our understanding of the role of IGFBP1 in drug resistance.

Regression/eradication of gliomas in mice by a systemically-deliverable ATF5 dominant-negative peptide.

Malignant gliomas have poor prognosis and urgently require new therapies. Activating Transcription Factor 5 (ATF5) is highly expressed in gliomas, and interference with its expression/function precipitates targeted glioma cell apoptosis in vitro and in vivo. We designed a novel deliverable truncated-dominant-negative (d/n) form of ATF5 fused to a cell-penetrating domain (Pen-d/n-ATF5-RP) that can be intraperitoneally/subcutaneously administered to mice harboring malignant gliomas generated; (1) by PDGF-B/sh-p53 retroviral transformation of endogenous neural progenitor cells; and (2) by human U87-MG xenografts. In vitro Pen-d/n-ATF5-RP entered into glioma cells and triggered massive apoptosis. In vivo, subcutaneously-administered Pen-d/n-ATF5-RP passed the blood brain barrier, entered normal brain and tumor cells, and then caused rapid selective tumor cell death. MRI verified elimination of retrovirus-induced gliomas within 8-21 days. Histopathology revealed growth-suppression of intracerebral human U87-MG cells xenografts. For endogenous PDGF-B gliomas, there was no recurrence or mortality at 6-12 months versus 66% mortality in controls at 6 months. Necropsy and liver-kidney blood enzyme analysis revealed no adverse effects on brain or other tissues. Our findings thus identify Pen-d/n-ATF5-RP as a potential therapy for malignant gliomas.

Rhenium(I) polypyridine dibenzocyclooctyne complexes as phosphorescent bioorthogonal probes: Synthesis, characterization, emissive behavior, and biolabeling properties.

We report the development of rhenium(I) polypyridine complexes appended with a dibenzocyclooctyne (DIBO) moiety as bioorthogonal probes for azide-modified biomolecules. Three phosphorescent rhenium(I) polypyridine DIBO complexes [Re(N^N)(CO)3(py-C6-DIBO)][CF3SO3] (py-C6-DIBO=3-(N-(6-(3,4:7,8-dibenzocyclooctyne-5-oxycarbonylamino)hexyl)aminocarbonyl)pyridine; N^N=1,10-phenanthroline (phen) (1a), 3,4,7,8-tetramethyl-1,10-phenanthroline (Me4-phen) (2a), 4,7-diphenyl-1,10-phenanthroline (Ph2-phen) (3a)) and their DIBO-free counterparts [Re(N^N)(CO)3(py-C6-BOC)][CF3SO3] (py-C6-BOC=3-(N-(6-(tert-butoxycarbonylamino)hexyl)aminocarbonyl)pyridine; N^N=phen (1b), Me4-phen (2b), Ph2-phen (3b)) were synthesized and characterized. Upon photoexcitation, all the complexes displayed intense and long-lived yellow triplet metal-to-ligand charge-transfer ((3)MLCT) (dπ(Re)→π*(N^N)) emission. The DIBO complexes underwent facile reactions with benzyl azide in methanol at 298 K with second-order rate constants (k2) in the range of 0.077 to 0.091 M(-1) s(-1). As revealed from SDS-PAGE analysis, the DIBO complexes can selectively label azide-modified proteins and the resulting bioconjugates displayed strong phosphorescence upon photoexcitation. Results of inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) and 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assays indicated that the DIBO complexes accumulated in Chinese Hamster Ovary (CHO) cells with considerable cytotoxic activity. Upon incubation of CHO cells with these complexes, relatively weak intracellular emission was observed. In contrast, upon pretreatment of the cells with 1,3,4,6-tetra-O-acetyl-N-azidoacetyl-D-mannosamine (Ac4ManNAz), intense emission was observed from the cell membrane and some internal compartments. The results suggest that the DIBO complexes are promising candidates for imaging azide-labeled biomolecules.

Ligand-engaged urokinase-type plasminogen activator receptor and activation of the CD11b/CD18 integrin inhibit late events of HIV expression in monocytic cells.

Urokinase-type plasminogen activator (uPA) signaling via its receptor uPAR inhibits late events in HIV-1 replication in acutely infected primary monocyte-derived macrophages (MDMs) and promonocytic U937 cells. Here we show that U937-derived, chronically infected U1 cells stimulated with phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) express integrins, uPA, and soluble uPAR at levels similar to those of MDMs. uPA inhibited HIV expression in U1 cells incubated with either PMA or tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), but not with other HIV-inductive cytokines or lipopolysaccharide. Of interest, only PMA and TNF-alpha, but not other HIV-inductive stimuli, induced surface expression of the alpha(M) chain CD11b in U1 cells constitutively expressing CD18, the beta(2) chain of the Mac-1 integrin. Like uPA, fibrinogen, a Mac-1 (CD11b/CD18) ligand, and M25, a peptide homologous to a portion of the beta-propeller region of CD11b preventing its association with uPAR, inhibited HIV virion release in PMA-stimulated U1 cells. Both uPAR small-interference RNA (siRNA) and soluble anti-beta(1)/-beta(2) monoclonal antibodies abolished the anti-HIV effects of uPA, whereas CD11b siRNA reversed the anti-HIV effect of M25, but not that induced by uPA. Thus, either uPA/uPAR interaction, Mac-1 activation, or prevention of its association with uPAR triggers a signaling pathway leading to the inefficient release of HIV from monocytic cells.