Effect of Enoxaparin and Daikenchuto Coadministration on Hepatic Disorder Markers in Gynecological Cancer Patients after Abdominal Surgery.

Enoxaparin and daikenchuto are commonly administered to prevent venous thromboembolism and intestinal obstruction after gynecological malignancy surgery. However, the effects of their combined use on hepatic function are not well studied. This study aimed to clarify the effects of the coadministration of enoxaparin and daikenchuto on hepatic function. First, Japanese Adverse Drug Event Report (JADER) data were analyzed to identify signals of hepatic disorders. Second, a retrospective observational study of patients who underwent surgery for gynecological malignancies was conducted. This study defined hepatic disorders as an increase in aspartate aminotransferase (AST) or alanine aminotransaminase (ALT) levels above the reference values, using 1-h postoperative values as the baseline. The analysis of JADER data revealed an increased risk for hepatic disorders with the coadministration of enoxaparin and daikenchuto. An observational study also showed higher odds ratios (95% confidence intervals) for the occurrence of hepatic disorders in the coadministration group (4.27; 2.11-8.64) and enoxaparin alone group (2.48; 1.31-4.69) than in the daikenchuto alone group. The median increase in the ALT level was also higher in the coadministration group (34; 15-59) than in the enoxaparin alone (19; 6-38) and daikenchuto alone groups (8; 3-33). In conclusion, our study suggests that compared with the use of enoxaparin or daikenchuto alone, enoxaparin and daikenchuto coadministration increases the risk of hepatic disorders, with more significant increases in AST and ALT levels. Healthcare workers need to be aware of these potential side effects when combining these drugs after surgery for gynecological malignancies.

Vertically Oriented Metallic Heterodimer Array Semiembedded in Flat Conductive Carbon Film for Electrochemical Application.

General synthesis of a highly oriented metallic heterodimer array based on a selective electrodeposition technique onto a metal nanoparticle-embedded carbon film is proposed, which enables the preparation of heterodimers with a wide variety of metal combinations. This method requires no surfactant, capping agent, organic solvent, or heat treatment. As a representative metal combination, a nickel (Ni)/palladium (Pd) heterodimer array was prepared by selective electrodeposition of Ni nanoparticles (Ni NPs) on top of partially exposed Pd NPs embedded in carbon film electrodes fabricated by a cosputtering technique. Such a selective electrodeposition becomes possible by utilizing the difference in electrodeposition overpotentials between carbon and Pd NP surfaces. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy revealed a charge transfer from Ni NPs to Pd NPs, implying that the catalytic and optical properties can be expected to be controllable. The formed heterodimer array structure was mechanically stable against ultrasonication in ethanol for over 1 h because most parts of the Pd NPs were tightly embedded in the carbon film. After conversion from Ni to nickel hydroxide (Ni(OH)2), the electrode showed high electrocatalytic activity toward glucose oxidation, with a higher turnover rate and lower overpotential compared to Ni(OH)2 electrodeposited on pure carbon film electrodes.

Prediction of breast cancer sensitivity to neoadjuvant chemotherapy based on status of DNA damage repair proteins.

INTRODUCTION: Various agents used in breast cancer chemotherapy provoke DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs). DSB repair competence determines the sensitivity of cells to these agents whereby aberrations in the repair machinery leads to apoptosis. Proteins required for this pathway can be detected as nuclear foci at sites of DNA damage when the pathway is intact. Here we investigate whether focus formation of repair proteins can predict chemosensitivity of breast cancer. METHODS: Core needle biopsy specimens were obtained from sixty cases of primary breast cancer before and 18-24 hours after the first cycle of neoadjuvant epirubicin plus cyclophosphamide (EC) treatment. Nuclear focus formation of DNA damage repair proteins was immunohistochemically analyzed and compared with tumor response to chemotherapy. RESULTS: EC treatment induced nuclear foci of gammaH2AX, conjugated ubiquitin, and Rad51 in a substantial amount of cases. In contrast, BRCA1 foci were observed before treatment in the majority of the cases and only decreased after EC in thirteen cases. The presence of BRCA1-, gammaH2AX-, or Rad51-foci before treatment or the presence of Rad51-foci after treatment was inversely correlated with tumor response to chemotherapy. DNA damage response (DDR) competence was further evaluated by considering all four repair indicators together. A high DDR score significantly correlated with low tumor response to EC and EC + docetaxel whereas other clinicopathological factors analyzed did not. CONCLUSIONS: High performing DDR focus formation resulted in tumor resistance to DNA damage-inducing chemotherapy. Our results suggested an importance of evaluation of DDR competence to predict breast cancer chemosensitivity, and merits further studying into its usefulness in exclusion of non-responder patients.

Hydrolyzed Salmon Milt Extract Enhances Object Recognition and Location Memory Through an Increase in Hippocampal Cytidine Nucleoside Levels in Normal Mice.

Salmon milt extract contains high levels of nucleic acids and has antioxidant potential. Although salmon milt extract is known to improve impaired brain function in animal models with brain disease, its effects on learning and memory ability in healthy subjects is unknown. The purpose of the present study was to clarify the effect of hydrolyzed salmon milt extract (HSME) on object recognition and object location memory under normal conditions. A diet containing 2.5% HSME induced normal mice to devote more time to exploring novel and moved objects than in exploring familiar and unmoved objects, as observed during novel object recognition and spatial recognition tests, respectively. A diet containing 2.5% nucleic acid fraction purified from HSME also induced similar effects, as measured by the same behavioral tests. This suggests that the nucleic acids may be a functional component contributing to the effects of HSME on brain function. Quantitative polymerase chain reaction analysis revealed that gene expression of the markers for brain parenchymal cells, including neural stem cells, astrocytes, oligodendrocytes, and microglia, in the hippocampi of mice on an HSME diet was higher than that in mice on a control diet. Oral administration of HSME increased concentrations of cytosine, cytidine, and deoxycytidine in the hippocampus. Overall, ingestion of HSME may enhance object recognition and object location memory under normal conditions in mice, at least, in part, via the activation of brain parenchymal cells. Our results thus indicate that dietary intake of this easily ingestible food might enhance brain function in healthy individuals.

Recruitment of phosphorylated NPM1 to sites of DNA damage through RNF8-dependent ubiquitin conjugates.

Protein accumulation at DNA double-strand breaks (DSB) is essential for genome stability; however, the mechanisms governing these events are not fully understood. Here, we report a new role for the nucleophosmin protein NPM1 in these mechanisms. Thr199-phosphorylated NPM1 (pT199-NPM1) is recruited to nuclear DNA damage foci induced by ionizing radiation (IR). Foci formation is impaired by depletion of the E3 ubiquitin ligases RNF8 and RNF168 or the E2 Ubc13, and pT199-NPM1 binds to Lys63-linked ubiquitin polymers in vitro. Thus, phosphorylated NPM1 may interact with RNF8-dependent ubiquitin conjugates at sites of DNA damage. The interaction was found to rely on T199 phosphorylation, an acidic tract, and an adjacent ubiquitin-interacting motif-like domain. Depletion of the breast cancer suppressor BRCA1 or its partner, RAP80, enhanced IR-induced NPM1 foci and prolonged persistence of the foci, possibly implicating BRCA1 in pT199-NPM1 action and dynamics. Replacement of endogenous NPM1 with its nonphosphorylable T199A mutant prolonged persistence of IR-induced RAD51 foci accompanied by unrepaired DNA damage. Collectively, our findings suggest that phosphorylated NPM1 is a novel component in DSB repair that is recruited by ubiquitin conjugates downstream of RNF8 and RNF168.

HERC2 is an E3 ligase that targets BRCA1 for degradation.

The breast cancer suppressor BRCA1 forms a stable heterodimeric E3 ubiquitin ligase with BARD1. Each protein controls the abundance and stability of the other, and loss of the interaction leads to BRCA1 degradation. Here, we show that HERC2, a protein recently implicated in DNA damage repair, targets BARD1-uncoupled BRCA1 for degradation. HERC2 shuttles between the nucleus and the cytoplasm. Its COOH-terminal HECT-containing domain interacts with an NH(2)-terminal degron domain in BRCA1. HERC2 ubiquitinates BRCA1; this reaction depends on Cys(4762) of HERC2, the catalytic ubiquitin binding site, and the degron of BRCA1. The HERC2-BRCA1 interaction is maximal during the S phase of the cell cycle and rapidly diminishes as cells enter G(2)-M, inversely correlated with the steady-state level of BRCA1. Significantly, HERC2 depletion antagonizes the effects of BARD1 depletion by restoring BRCA1 expression and G(2)-M checkpoint activity. Conversely, BARD1 protects BRCA1 from HERC2-mediated ubiquitination. Collectively, our findings identify a function for HERC2 in regulating BRCA1 stability in opposition to BARD1. The HERC2 expression in breast epithelial cells and breast carcinomas suggests that this mechanism may play a role in breast carcinogenesis.

Contemplating chemosensitivity of basal-like breast cancer based on BRCA1 dysfunction.

Gene-expression profiling classified breast cancer to intrinsic subtypes, including luminal A and B, HER2 positive, normal-breast-like, and basal-like tumors. Of these, basal-like tumors that express basal cytokeratins and that are negative for estrogen receptor alpha, progesterone receptor, and HER2 show the most aggressive phenotype with a poor prognosis. Analyses of clinical samples and basic research indicate that basal-like breast cancer is caused by deficiencies in the breast cancer susceptibility protein, BRCA1. Indeed, conditionally deleting BRCA1 from the mammary gland causes mice to develop basal-like cancers at high rates. One of the major functions of BRCA1 is DNA double-strand break (DSB) repair, and its failure to perform causes increased sensitivity of cells to DNA damage-inducing agents, such as PARP inhibitors, DNA cross-linkers, or topoisomerase inhibitors. Therefore, BRCA1 dysfunction could be a principal target for therapeutic application of basal-like breast cancer. Recently, significant progress has been made in understanding the BRCA1 cascade in response to DSBs, where ubiquitin polymer formation plays critical roles. Ubiquitination was indeed found to be an apparent early response of breast cancer to neoadjuvant treatment with epirubicin and cyclophosphamide. Deducing the role of BRCA1 ubiquitin E3 ligase activity in this pathway is a critical challenge to further clarify its functional mechanism. In individualized treatment of breast cancer, evaluation of the DNA repair capacity by the BRCA1 pathway may be an important issue when determining proper treatment of basal-like breast cancer.

Perturbation of DNA repair pathways by proteasome inhibitors corresponds to enhanced chemosensitivity of cells to DNA damage-inducing agents.

PURPOSE: Breast cancer treatment often employs DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs), such as that induced by irradiation or anticancer agents. Ubiquitination is required at the site of DNA damage and plays a crucial role in the DSB repair pathway. We investigated the effect of proteasome inhibitors on the pathway after exposure to chemotherapeutic agents and examined its correlation with cytotoxicity. METHODS: Cells were exposed for 1 h to DNA damage-inducing chemotherapeutic agents. After DNA damage, nuclear foci formation of conjugated ubiquitin (Ub-foci) and cell viability were examined in the absence or presence of proteasome inhibitors MG132 and epoxomicin. RESULTS: Proteasome inhibitors trapped conjugated ubiquitin in the cytosol and blocked irinotecan (CPT-11)- and epirubicin-induced Ub-foci formation in MCF10A cells and HeLa cells, but not in MCF7 cells. MG132 sensitized MCF10A cells to CPT-11 and epirubicin treatment, demonstrating a synergistic effect. This synergistic effect is likely due to the failure to repair DNA, because a significant rise in unrepaired DNA damage was observed in the cells treated with MG132. On the other hand, no synergy was observed in MCF7 cells or when MG132 was combined with docetaxel. CONCLUSIONS: The synergistic effect of proteasome inhibitors in combination with DNA damage-inducing agents warrants further investigating into its effectiveness in the treatment of breast cancer.

BRCA1-associated protein 1 interferes with BRCA1/BARD1 RING heterodimer activity.

The breast and ovarian tumor suppressor BRCA1 constitutes a RING heterodimer E3 ligase with BARD1. BRCA1-associated protein 1 (BAP1) is a ubiquitin COOH-terminal hydrolase that was initially identified as a protein that bound to the RING finger domain of BRCA1. However, how BAP1 contributes to the E3 activity of BRCA1/BARD1 is unclear. Here, we report that BAP1 interacts with BARD1 to inhibit the E3 ligase activity of BRCA1/BARD1. Domains comprised by residues 182-365 of BAP1 interact with the RING finger domain of BARD1, and surface plasmon resonance spectroscopy (BIAcore) analyses showed that BAP1 interferes with the BRCA1/BARD1 association. The perturbation resulted in inhibition of BRCA1 autoubiquitination and NPM1/B23 ubiquitination by BRCA1/BARD1. Although BAP1 was capable of deubiquitinating the polyubiquitin chains mediated by BRCA1/BARD1 in vitro, a catalytically inactive mutant of BAP1, C91S, still inhibited the ubiquitination in vitro and in vivo, implicating a second mechanism of action. Importantly, inhibition of BAP1 expression by short hairpin RNA resulted in hypersensitivity of the cells to ionizing irradiation and in retardation of S-phase progression. Together, these results suggest that BAP1 and BRCA1/BARD1 coordinately regulate ubiquitination during the DNA damage response and the cell cycle.

The ubiquitin E3 ligase activity of BRCA1 and its biological functions.

The basal-like breast cancer, a new category of breast cancer associated with poor prognosis and possibly unique chemosensitivity, is a current topic in the breast cancer field. Evidence from multiple sources strongly indicate that impairment of BRCA1 pathways is responsible for this phenotype, implying the importance of BRCA1 not only in familial breast cancers but also in sporadic cancers. BRCA1 acts as a hub protein that coordinates a diverse range of cellular pathways to maintain genomic stability. BRCA1 participates in multiple cellular supercomplexes to execute its tasks and, in most of the complexes, BRCA1 exists as a RING heterodimer with BARD1 to provide ubiquitin E3 ligase activity that is required for its tumor suppressor function. It was revealed recently that the BRCA1 RING finger is capable of catalyzing multiple types of ubiquitination depending upon the interacting E2, the ubiquitin carrier protein. BRCA1 may catalyze distinct ubiquitination on different substrates as the situation demands. On the other hand, in response to DNA double-strand breaks where BRCA1 plays its major role for homologous recombination repair, recent evidence showed that ubiquitination is a critical step to recruit BRCA1 to the damaged site through UIM (ubiquitin interacting motif) containing protein RAP80. Thus, ubiquitin and BRCA1 likely affect each other in many ways to perform cellular functions. Elucidation of this mechanism in relation to cell survival is now much anticipated because it could be a key to predict chemosensitivity of basal-like breast cancer.

Putative tumor suppressor EDD interacts with and up-regulates APC.

Adenomatous polyposis coli (APC), whose mutation causes colorectal cancers, is a key player in the Wnt signaling pathway. While the role of APC in inhibition of beta-catenin/LEF1-dependent activation of transformation-inducing genes has been intensively studied and well established, regulation of APC expression at the protein level is only partially understood. Here we report that APC is up-regulated by EDD, the mammalian orthologue of Drosophila melanogaster"hyperplastic discs" gene (hyd) that is considered to be a putative tumor suppressor. Screening of APC immunocomplexes by mass spectrometry identified EDD as a putative APC-interacting protein. Exogenously expressed and endogenous APC interacted with EDD in vivo. Indirect immunofluorescent analyses demonstrated that APC and EDD co-localized in the cytoplasm of the cell. Over-expression of EDD enhanced the protein expression level of APC and its binding partner Axin, resulting in inhibition of Wnt signaling downstream of beta-catenin. Conversely, siRNA knock-down of EDD down-regulated APC at the protein level without altering its mRNA level, causing enhanced protein expression of beta-catenin. Thus, through protein-protein interaction, EDD stabilizes APC and up-regulates APC's function to inhibit beta-catenin, suggesting that EDD could act as a colorectal tumor suppressor.