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1.
bioRxiv ; 2024 Mar 10.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38496495

ABSTRACT

The activation of branched chain amino acid (BCAA) catabolism has garnered interest as a potential therapeutic approach to improve insulin sensitivity, enhance recovery from heart failure, and blunt tumor growth. Evidence for this interest relies in part on BT2, a small molecule that promotes BCAA oxidation and is protective in mouse models of these pathologies. BT2 and other analogs allosterically inhibit branched chain ketoacid dehydrogenase kinase (BCKDK) to promote BCAA oxidation, which is presumed to underlie the salutary effects of BT2. Potential "off-target" effects of BT2 have not been considered, however. We therefore tested for metabolic off-target effects of BT2 in Bckdk-/- animals. As expected, BT2 failed to activate BCAA oxidation in these animals. Surprisingly, however, BT2 strongly reduced plasma tryptophan levels and promoted catabolism of tryptophan to kynurenine in both control and Bckdk-/- mice. Mechanistic studies revealed that none of the principal tryptophan catabolic or kynurenine-producing/consuming enzymes (TDO, IDO1, IDO2, or KATs) were required for BT2-mediated lowering of plasma tryptophan. Instead, using equilibrium dialysis assays and mice lacking albumin, we show that BT2 avidly binds plasma albumin and displaces tryptophan, releasing it for catabolism. These data confirm that BT2 activates BCAA oxidation via inhibition of BCKDK but also reveal a robust off-target effect on tryptophan metabolism via displacement from serum albumin. The data highlight a potential confounding effect for pharmaceutical compounds that compete for binding with albumin-bound tryptophan.

2.
Front Immunol ; 13: 886225, 2022.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-35493480

ABSTRACT

Indoleamine-2,3-dioxygenase (IDO)1 and IDO2 are closely related tryptophan catabolizing enzymes that have immunomodulatory properties. Although initially studied as modifiers of T cell activity, emerging evidence suggests IDO1 and IDO2 also have important roles as modulators of B cell function. In this context, IDO1 and IDO2 appear to play opposite roles, with IDO1 inhibiting and IDO2 driving inflammatory B cell responses. In this mini review, we discuss the evidence for IDO1 and IDO2 modulation of B cell function, focusing on the effect of these enzymes on autoimmunity, allergic responses, protective immunity, and response to pathogens. We summarize strategies to target IDO1 and/or IDO2 as potential therapeutics for inflammatory autoimmune disease and highlight outstanding questions and areas that require future study.


Subject(s)
Indoleamine-Pyrrole 2,3,-Dioxygenase , Tryptophan Oxygenase , Immunity , Tryptophan/pharmacology
3.
J Immunol ; 208(3): 571-581, 2022 02 01.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-34965962

ABSTRACT

IDO2 is one of two closely related tryptophan catabolizing enzymes induced under inflammatory conditions. In contrast to the immunoregulatory role defined for IDO1 in cancer models, IDO2 has a proinflammatory function in models of autoimmunity and contact hypersensitivity. In humans, two common single-nucleotide polymorphisms have been identified that severely impair IDO2 enzymatic function, such that <25% of individuals express IDO2 with full catalytic potential. This, together with IDO2's relatively weak enzymatic activity, suggests that IDO2 may have a role outside of its function in tryptophan catabolism. To determine whether the enzymatic activity of IDO2 is required for its proinflammatory function, we used newly generated catalytically inactive IDO2 knock-in mice together with established models of contact hypersensitivity and autoimmune arthritis. Contact hypersensitivity was attenuated in catalytically inactive IDO2 knock-in mice. In contrast, induction of autoimmune arthritis was unaffected by the absence of IDO2 enzymatic activity. In pursuing this nonenzymatic IDO2 function, we identified GAPDH, Runx1, RANbp10, and Mgea5 as IDO2-binding proteins that do not interact with IDO1, implicating them as potential mediators of IDO2-specific function. Taken together, our findings identify a novel function for IDO2, independent of its tryptophan catabolizing activity, and suggest that this nonenzymatic function could involve multiple signaling pathways. These data show that the enzymatic activity of IDO2 is required only for some inflammatory immune responses and provide, to our knowledge, the first evidence of a nonenzymatic role for IDO2 in mediating autoimmune disease.


Subject(s)
Arthritis/immunology , Autoimmunity/immunology , Indoleamine-Pyrrole 2,3,-Dioxygenase/genetics , Indoleamine-Pyrrole 2,3,-Dioxygenase/metabolism , Animals , Antigens, Neoplasm/metabolism , Cell Line , Core Binding Factor Alpha 2 Subunit/metabolism , Gene Knock-In Techniques , Glyceraldehyde-3-Phosphate Dehydrogenase (Phosphorylating)/metabolism , Guanine Nucleotide Exchange Factors/metabolism , HEK293 Cells , Humans , Inflammation/immunology , Mice , Mice, Inbred BALB C , Mice, Inbred C57BL , Mice, Knockout , Microtubule-Associated Proteins/metabolism , Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide/genetics
4.
Front Immunol ; 11: 1861, 2020.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-32973768

ABSTRACT

Indoleamine-2,3-dioxygenase (IDO)1 and IDO2 are two closely related tryptophan catabolizing enzymes encoded by linked genes. The IDO pathway is also immunomodulatory, with IDO1 well-characterized as a mediator of tumor immune evasion. Due to its homology with IDO1, IDO2 has been proposed to have a similar immunoregulatory function. Indeed, IDO2, like IDO1, is necessary for the differentiation of regulatory T cells in vitro. However, compared to IDO1, in vivo studies demonstrated a contrasting role for IDO2, with experiments in preclinical models of autoimmune arthritis establishing a proinflammatory role for IDO2 in mediating B and T cell activation driving autoimmune disease. Given their potentially opposing roles in inflammatory responses, interpretation of results obtained using IDO1 or IDO2 single knockout mice could be complicated by the expression of the other enzyme. Here we use IDO1 and IDO2 single and double knockout (dko) mice to define the differential roles of IDO1 and IDO2 in B cell-mediated immune responses. Autoreactive T and B cell responses and severity of joint inflammation were decreased in IDO2 ko, but not IDO1 ko arthritic mice. Dko mice had a reduction in the number of autoantibody secreting cells and severity of arthritis: however, percentages of differentiated T cells and their associated cytokines were not reduced compared to IDO1 ko or wild-type mice. These data suggest that autoreactive B cell responses are mediated by IDO2, while autoreactive T cell responses are indirectly affected by IDO1 expression in the IDO2 ko mice. IDO2 also influenced antibody responses in models of influenza infection and immunization with T cell-independent type II antigens. Taken together, these studies provide evidence for the contrasting roles IDO1 and IDO2 play in immune responses, with IDO1 mediating T cell suppressive effects and IDO2 working directly in B cells as a proinflammatory mediator of B cell responses.


Subject(s)
B-Lymphocytes/immunology , Indoleamine-Pyrrole 2,3,-Dioxygenase/immunology , Lymphocyte Activation/immunology , T-Lymphocytes/immunology , Animals , Arthritis, Experimental/immunology , Humans , Inflammation/immunology , Mice , Mice, Knockout , Orthomyxoviridae Infections/immunology
5.
Evol Appl ; 13(7): 1615-1625, 2020 Aug.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-32952608

ABSTRACT

Beneficial mutations that arise in an evolving asexual population may compete or interact in ways that alter the overall rate of adaptation through mechanisms such as clonal or functional interference. The application of multiple selective pressures simultaneously may allow for a greater number of adaptive mutations, increasing the opportunities for competition between selectively advantageous alterations, and thereby reducing the rate of adaptation. We evolved a strain of Saccharomyces cerevisiae that could not produce its own histidine or uracil for ~500 generations under one or three selective pressures: limitation of the concentration of glucose, histidine, and/or uracil in the media. The rate of adaptation was obtained by measuring evolved relative fitness using competition assays. Populations evolved under a single selective pressure showed a statistically significant increase in fitness on those pressures relative to the ancestral strain, but the populations evolved on all three pressures did not show a statistically significant increase in fitness over the ancestral strain on any single pressure. Simultaneously limiting three essential nutrients for a population of S. cerevisiae effectively slows the rate of evolution on any one of the three selective pressures applied, relative to the single selective pressure cases. We identify possible mechanisms for fitness changes seen between populations evolved on one or three limiting nutrient pressures by high-throughput sequencing. Adding multiple selective pressures to evolving disease like cancer and infectious diseases could reduce the rate of adaptation and thereby may slow disease progression, prolong drug efficacy and prevent deaths.

6.
Clin Pathol ; 13: 2632010X20951812, 2020.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-32924009

ABSTRACT

The tryptophan catabolizing enzyme indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase 2 (IDO2) has been identified as an immunomodulatory agent promoting autoimmunity in preclinical models. As such, finding ways to target the expression of IDO2 in B cells promises a new avenue for therapy for debilitating autoimmune disorders such as rheumatoid arthritis. IDO2, like many drivers of disease, is an intracellular protein expressed in a range of cells, and thus therapeutic inhibition of IDO2 requires a mechanism for targeting this intracellular protein in specific cell types. DNA nanostructures are a promising novel way of delivering small molecule drugs, antibodies, or siRNAs to the cytoplasm of a cell. These soluble, branched structures can carry cell-specific targeting moieties along with their therapeutic deliverable. Here, we examined a 3DNA nanocarrier specifically targeted to B cells with an anti-CD19 antibody. We find that this 3DNA is successfully delivered to and internalized in B cells. To test whether these nanostructures can deliver an efficacious therapeutic dose to alter autoimmune responses, a modified anti-IDO2 siRNA was attached to B-cell-directed 3DNA nanocarriers and tested in an established preclinical model of autoimmune arthritis, KRN.g7. The anti-IDO2 3DNA formulation ameliorates arthritis in this system, delaying the onset of joint swelling and reducing total arthritis severity. As such, a 3DNA nanocarrier system shows promise for delivery of targeted, specific, low-dose therapy for autoimmune disease.

7.
J Immunother Cancer ; 8(2)2020 07.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-32690770

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: The tryptophan-catabolizing enzyme indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase 1 (IDO1), which subverts T-cell immunity at multiple levels, is itself subject to inherent T-cell reactivity. This intriguing deviation from central tolerance has been interpreted as counterbalancing IDO1-mediated immunosuppression. Based on this hypothesis, clinical studies employing an IDO1 peptide-based vaccine approach for cancer treatment have been initiated, but there remains a pressing need to further investigate the immunological ramifications of stimulating the anti-IDO1 T-cell response in this manner. METHODS: CT26 colon carcinoma tumors were evaluated for expression of IDO1 protein by western blot analysis, immunofluorescence microscopy and flow cytometry. Mouse IDO1-derived peptides, predicted to bind either major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I or II of the H2d BALB/c strain, were emulsified in 50% Montanide for prophylactic or therapeutic vaccine treatment of CT26 tumor-bearing mice initiated either 7 days prior to or following tumor cell injection, respectively. In some therapeutic treatment experiments, administration of programmed cell death protein 1-binding antibody (anti-PD1 antibody) or epacadostat was concurrently initiated. Tumor size was determined by caliper measurements and comparative tumor growth suppression was assessed by longitudinal analyses of tumor growth data. For adoptive transfer, T cells from complete responder animals were isolated using paramagnetic beads and fluorescence-activated cell sorting. RESULTS: This study identifies mouse MHC class I-directed and II-directed, IDO1-derived peptides capable of eliciting antitumor responses, despite finding IDO1 expressed exclusively in tumor-infiltrating immune cells. Treatment of established tumors with anti-PD1 antibody and class I-directed but not class II-directed IDO1 peptide vaccines produced an enhanced antitumor response. Likewise, class I-directed and II-directed IDO1 peptides elicited an enhanced combinatorial response, suggesting distinct mechanisms of action. Consistent with this interpretation, adoptive transfer of isolated CD8+ T cells from class I and CD4+ T cells from class II peptide-vaccinated responder mice delayed tumor growth. The class II-directed response was completely IDO1-dependent while the class I-directed response included an IDO1-independent component consistent with antigen spread. CONCLUSIONS: The in vivo antitumor effects demonstrated with IDO1-based vaccines via targeting of the tumor microenvironment highlight the utility of mouse models for further exploration and refinement of this novel vaccine-based approach to IDO1-directed cancer therapy and its potential to improve patient response rates to anti-PD1 therapy.


Subject(s)
CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes/immunology , CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes/immunology , Cancer Vaccines/therapeutic use , Indoleamine-Pyrrole 2,3,-Dioxygenase/metabolism , Programmed Cell Death 1 Receptor/antagonists & inhibitors , Vaccines, Subunit/therapeutic use , Animals , Cancer Vaccines/pharmacology , Cell Line, Tumor , Female , Humans , Mice , Mice, Transgenic , Vaccines, Subunit/pharmacology
9.
Clin Immunol ; 179: 8-16, 2017 06.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-28223071

ABSTRACT

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a debilitating inflammatory autoimmune disease with no known cure. Recently, we identified the immunomodulatory enzyme indoleamine-2,3-dioxygenase 2 (IDO2) as an essential mediator of autoreactive B and T cell responses driving RA. However, therapeutically targeting IDO2 has been challenging given the lack of small molecules that specifically inhibit IDO2 without also affecting the closely related IDO1. In this study, we develop a novel monoclonal antibody (mAb)-based approach to therapeutically target IDO2. Treatment with IDO2-specific mAb alleviated arthritis in two independent preclinical arthritis models, reducing autoreactive T and B cell activation and recapitulating the strong anti-arthritic effect of genetic IDO2 deficiency. Mechanistic investigations identified FcγRIIb as necessary for mAb internalization, allowing targeting of an intracellular antigen traditionally considered inaccessible to mAb therapy. Taken together, our results offer preclinical proof of concept for antibody-mediated targeting of IDO2 as a new therapeutic strategy to treat RA and other autoantibody-mediated diseases.


Subject(s)
Antibodies, Monoclonal/therapeutic use , Arthritis, Experimental/drug therapy , Arthritis, Rheumatoid/drug therapy , Indoleamine-Pyrrole 2,3,-Dioxygenase/antagonists & inhibitors , Animals , Antibodies, Monoclonal/pharmacology , Arthritis, Experimental/immunology , Arthritis, Experimental/pathology , Arthritis, Rheumatoid/chemically induced , Arthritis, Rheumatoid/immunology , Arthritis, Rheumatoid/pathology , B-Lymphocytes/immunology , Female , Indoleamine-Pyrrole 2,3,-Dioxygenase/genetics , Indoleamine-Pyrrole 2,3,-Dioxygenase/immunology , Lymph Nodes/cytology , Male , Mice, Inbred C57BL , Mice, Inbred DBA , Mice, Knockout , Receptors, IgG/genetics , Receptors, IgG/immunology , Spleen/cytology , T-Lymphocytes/immunology , Tarsal Joints/drug effects , Tarsal Joints/pathology
10.
Clin Med Insights Pathol ; 9(Suppl 1): 21-28, 2016.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-27891058

ABSTRACT

Indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase 2 (IDO2), a homolog of the better-studied tryptophan-catabolizing enzyme IDO1, is an immunomodulatory molecule with potential effects on various diseases including cancer and autoimmunity. Here, we review what is known about the direct connections between IDO2 and immune function, particularly in relationship to autoimmune inflammatory disorders such as rheumatoid arthritis and lupus. Accumulating evidence indicates that IDO2 acts as a pro-inflammatory mediator of autoimmunity, with a functional phenotype distinct from IDO1. IDO2 is expressed in antigen-presenting cells, including B cells and dendritic cells, but affects inflammatory responses in the autoimmune context specifically by acting in B cells to modulate T cell help in multiple model systems. Given that expression of IDO2 can lead to exacerbation of inflammatory responses, IDO2 should be considered a potential therapeutic target for autoimmune disorders.

11.
J Immunol ; 196(11): 4487-97, 2016 06 01.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-27183624

ABSTRACT

Mechanistic insight into how adaptive immune responses are modified along the self-nonself continuum may offer more effective opportunities to treat autoimmune disease, cancer, and other sterile inflammatory disorders. Recent genetic studies in the KRN mouse model of rheumatoid arthritis demonstrate that the immunomodulatory molecule IDO2 modifies responses to self-antigens; however, the mechanisms involved are obscure. In this study, we show that IDO2 exerts a critical function in B cells to support the generation of autoimmunity. In experiments with IDO2-deficient mice, adoptive transplant experiments demonstrated that IDO2 expression in B cells was both necessary and sufficient to support robust arthritis development. IDO2 function in B cells was contingent on a cognate, Ag-specific interaction to exert its immunomodulatory effects on arthritis development. We confirmed a similar requirement in an established model of contact hypersensitivity, in which IDO2-expressing B cells are required for a robust inflammatory response. Mechanistic investigations showed that IDO2-deficient B cells lacked the ability to upregulate the costimulatory marker CD40, suggesting IDO2 acts at the T-B cell interface to modulate the potency of T cell help needed to promote autoantibody production. Overall, our findings revealed that IDO2 expression by B cells modulates autoimmune responses by supporting the cross talk between autoreactive T and B cells.


Subject(s)
Autoimmunity/immunology , B-Lymphocytes/immunology , Indoleamine-Pyrrole 2,3,-Dioxygenase/immunology , T-Lymphocytes/immunology , Animals , Cells, Cultured , Indoleamine-Pyrrole 2,3,-Dioxygenase/deficiency , Indoleamine-Pyrrole 2,3,-Dioxygenase/genetics , Mice , Mice, Inbred C57BL , Mice, Knockout , Mice, Transgenic
12.
Front Immunol ; 5: 585, 2014.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-25477879

ABSTRACT

IDO2 is a relative of IDO1 implicated in tryptophan catabolism and immune modulation but its specific contributions to normal physiology and pathophysiology are not known. Evolutionary genetic studies suggest that IDO2 has a unique function ancestral to IDO1. In mice, IDO2 gene deletion does not appreciably affect embryonic development or hematopoiesis, but it leads to defects in allergic or autoimmune responses and in the ability of IDO1 to influence the generation of T regulatory cells. Gene expression studies indicate that IDO2 is a basally and more narrowly expressed gene than IDO1 and that IDO2 is uniquely regulated by AhR, which serves as a physiological receptor for the tryptophan catabolite kynurenine. In the established KRN transgenic mouse model of rheumatoid arthritis, where IDO1 gene deletion has no effect, IDO2 deletion selectively blunts responses to autoantigen but has no effect on responses to neoantigen challenge. In human populations, natural variations in IDO2 gene sequence that attenuate enzymatic activity have been reported to influence brain cancer control and adaptive immune responses to the IDO2 protein itself, consistent with the concept that IDO2 is involved in shaping immune tolerance in human beings. Biochemical and pharmacological studies provide further evidence of differences in IDO2 enzymology and function relative to IDO1. We suggest that IDO2 may act in a distinct manner from IDO1 as a set-point for tolerance to "altered-self" antigens along the self-non-self continuum where immune challenges from cancer and autoimmunity may arise.

13.
J Immunol ; 192(5): 2082-2090, 2014 Mar 01.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-24489090

ABSTRACT

Rheumatoid arthritis and other autoimmune disorders are associated with altered activity of the immunomodulatory enzyme IDO. However, the precise contributions of IDO function to autoimmunity remain unclear. In this article, we examine the effect of two different IDO enzymes, IDO1 and IDO2, on the development of autoimmune arthritis in the KRN preclinical model of rheumatoid arthritis. We find that IDO2, not IDO1, is critical for arthritis development, providing direct evidence of separate in vivo functions for IDO1 and IDO2. Mice null for Ido2 display decreased joint inflammation relative to wild-type mice owing to a reduction in pathogenic autoantibodies and Ab-secreting cells. Notably, IDO2 appears to specifically mediate autoreactive responses, but not normal B cell responses, as total serum Ig levels are not altered and IDO2 knockout mice are able to mount productive Ab responses to model Ags in vitro and in vivo. Reciprocal adoptive transfer studies confirm that autoantibody production and arthritis are modulated by IDO2 expression in a cell type extrinsic to the T cell. Taken together, our results, provide important insights into IDO2 function by defining its pathogenic contributions to autoantibody-mediated autoimmunity.


Subject(s)
Antibody Formation , Arthritis, Experimental/immunology , Arthritis, Rheumatoid/immunology , Autoantibodies/immunology , Gene Expression Regulation, Enzymologic/immunology , Indoleamine-Pyrrole 2,3,-Dioxygenase/immunology , Animals , Arthritis, Experimental/enzymology , Arthritis, Experimental/genetics , Arthritis, Experimental/pathology , Arthritis, Rheumatoid/enzymology , Arthritis, Rheumatoid/genetics , Arthritis, Rheumatoid/pathology , Autoantibodies/genetics , Autoantibodies/metabolism , B-Lymphocytes/enzymology , B-Lymphocytes/immunology , B-Lymphocytes/pathology , Gene Expression Regulation, Enzymologic/genetics , Indoleamine-Pyrrole 2,3,-Dioxygenase/biosynthesis , Indoleamine-Pyrrole 2,3,-Dioxygenase/genetics , Indoleamine-Pyrrole 2,3,-Dioxygenase/metabolism , Mice , Mice, Knockout , T-Lymphocytes/enzymology , T-Lymphocytes/immunology , T-Lymphocytes/pathology
14.
Int Immunol ; 26(7): 357-67, 2014 Jul.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-24402311

ABSTRACT

IDO2 is implicated in tryptophan catabolism and immunity but its physiological functions are not well established. Here we report the characterization of mice genetically deficient in IDO2, which develop normally but exhibit defects in IDO-mediated T-cell regulation and inflammatory responses. Construction of this strain was prompted in part by our discovery that IDO2 function is attenuated in macrophages from Ido1 (-/-) mice due to altered message splicing, generating a functional mosaic with implications for interpreting findings in Ido1 (-/-) mice. No apparent defects were observed in Ido2 (-/-) mice in embryonic development or hematopoietic differentiation, with wild-type profiles documented for kynurenine in blood serum and for immune cells in spleen, lymph nodes, peritoneum, thymus and bone marrow of naive mice. In contrast, upon immune stimulation we determined that IDO1-dependent T regulatory cell generation was defective in Ido2 (-/-) mice, supporting Ido1-Ido2 genetic interaction and establishing a functional role for Ido2 in immune modulation. Pathophysiologically, both Ido1 (-/-) and Ido2 (-/-) mice displayed reduced skin contact hypersensitivity responses, but mechanistic distinctions were apparent, with only Ido2 deficiency associated with a suppression of immune regulatory cytokines that included GM-CSF, G-CSF, IFN-γ, TNF-α, IL-6 and MCP-1/CCL2. Different contributions to inflammation were likewise indicated by the finding that Ido2 (-/-) mice did not phenocopy Ido1 (-/-) mice in the reduced susceptibility of the latter to inflammatory skin cancer. Taken together, our results offer an initial glimpse into immune modulation by IDO2, revealing its genetic interaction with IDO1 and distinguishing its non-redundant contributions to inflammation.


Subject(s)
Gene Expression Regulation/immunology , Indoleamine-Pyrrole 2,3,-Dioxygenase/immunology , Papilloma/immunology , Skin Neoplasms/immunology , T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory/immunology , 9,10-Dimethyl-1,2-benzanthracene , Animals , Carcinogens , Cytokines/biosynthesis , Dendritic Cells/immunology , Dendritic Cells/pathology , Female , Indoleamine-Pyrrole 2,3,-Dioxygenase/deficiency , Indoleamine-Pyrrole 2,3,-Dioxygenase/genetics , Inflammation/chemically induced , Inflammation/genetics , Inflammation/immunology , Inflammation/pathology , Kynurenine , Lymphocyte Culture Test, Mixed , Male , Mice , Mice, Knockout , Papilloma/chemically induced , Papilloma/genetics , Papilloma/pathology , Signal Transduction , Skin Neoplasms/chemically induced , Skin Neoplasms/genetics , Skin Neoplasms/pathology , T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory/pathology , Tetradecanoylphorbol Acetate/analogs & derivatives , Th1-Th2 Balance
15.
Curr Biol ; 22(17): R762-71, 2012 Sep 11.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-22975007

ABSTRACT

Cancer initiation, progression, and the emergence of therapeutic resistance are evolutionary phenomena of clonal somatic cell populations. Studies in microbial experimental evolution and the theoretical work inspired by such studies are yielding deep insights into the evolutionary dynamics of clonal populations, yet there has been little explicit consideration of the relevance of this rapidly growing field to cancer biology. Here, we examine how the understanding of mutation, selection, and spatial structure in clonal populations that is emerging from experimental evolution may be applicable to cancer. Along the way, we discuss some significant ways in which cancer differs from the model systems used in experimental evolution. Despite these differences, we argue that enhanced prediction and control of cancer may be possible using ideas developed in the context of experimental evolution, and we point out some prospects for future research at the interface between these traditionally separate areas.


Subject(s)
Evolution, Molecular , Neoplasms/genetics , Biological Evolution , Drug Resistance, Neoplasm/genetics , Genetic Variation , Humans , Models, Biological , Mutagenesis , Neoplasms/epidemiology , Selection, Genetic , Tumor Microenvironment
16.
J Cell Physiol ; 227(6): 2654-9, 2012 Jun.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-21882191

ABSTRACT

Understanding the molecular and cellular processes underlying the development, maintenance, and progression of Barrett's esophagus (BE) presents an empirical challenge because there are no simple animal models and standard 2D cell culture can distort cellular processes. Here we describe a three-dimensional (3D) cell culture system to study BE. BE cell lines (CP-A, CP-B, CP-C, and CP-D) and esophageal squamous keratinocytes (EPC2) were cultured on a matrix consisting of esophageal fibroblasts and collagen. Comparison of growth and cytokeratin expression in the presence of all-trans retinoic acid or hydrochloric acid was made by immunohistochemistry and Alcian Blue staining to determine which treatments produced a BE phenotype of columnar cytokeratin expression in 3D culture. All-trans retinoic acid differentially affected the growth of BE cell lines in 3D culture. Notably, the non-dyplastic metaplasia-derived cell line (CP-A) expressed reduced squamous cytokeratins and enhanced columnar cytokeratins upon ATRA treatment. ATRA altered the EPC2 squamous cytokeratin profile towards a more columnar expression pattern. Cell lines derived from patients with high-grade dysplasia already expressed columnar cytokeratins and therefore did not show a systematic shift toward a more columnar phenotype with ATRA treatment. ATRA treatment, however, did reduce the squamoid-like multilayer stratification observed in all cell lines. As the first study to demonstrate long-term 3D growth of BE cell lines, we have determined that BE cells can be cultured for at least 3 weeks on a fibroblast/collagen matrix and that the use of ATRA causes a general reduction in squamous-like multilayered growth and an increase in columnar phenotype with the specific effects cell-line dependent.


Subject(s)
Barrett Esophagus/pathology , Epithelial Cells/pathology , Esophagus/pathology , Fibroblasts/pathology , Keratinocytes/pathology , Cell Line, Transformed , Coculture Techniques , Collagen/metabolism , Epithelial Cells/drug effects , Epithelial Cells/metabolism , Esophagus/drug effects , Esophagus/metabolism , Fibroblasts/drug effects , Fibroblasts/metabolism , Humans , Hydrochloric Acid/pharmacology , Hydrogen-Ion Concentration , Keratinocytes/drug effects , Keratinocytes/metabolism , Keratins/metabolism , Metaplasia , Phenotype , Telomerase/genetics , Telomerase/metabolism , Time Factors , Transfection , Tretinoin/pharmacology
17.
BMC Cancer ; 11: 461, 2011 Oct 25.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-22026449

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: The evolutionary dynamics between interacting heterogeneous cell types are fundamental properties of neoplastic progression but can be difficult to measure and quantify. Cancers are heterogeneous mixtures of mutant clones but the direct effect of interactions between these clones is rarely documented. The implicit goal of most preventive interventions is to bias competition in favor of normal cells over neoplastic cells. However, this is rarely explicitly tested. Here we have developed a cell culture competition model to allow for direct observation of the effect of chemopreventive or therapeutic agents on two interacting cell types. We have examined competition between normal and Barrett's esophagus cell lines, in the hopes of identifying a system that could screen for potential chemopreventive agents. METHODS: One fluorescently-labeled normal squamous esophageal cell line (EPC2-hTERT) was grown in competition with one of four Barrett's esophagus cell lines (CP-A, CP-B, CP-C, CP-D) under varying conditions and the outcome of competition measured over 14 days by flow cytometry. RESULTS: We demonstrate that ascorbic acid (vitamin C) can help squamous cells outcompete Barrett's cells in this system. We are also able to show that ascorbic acid's boost to the relative fitness of squamous cells was increased in most cases by mimicking the pH conditions of gastrointestinal reflux in the lower esophagus. CONCLUSIONS: This model is able to integrate differential fitness effects on various cell types, allowing us to simultaneously capture effects on interacting cell types without having to perform separate experiments. This model system may be used to screen for new classes of cancer prevention agents designed to modulate the competition between normal and neoplastic cells.


Subject(s)
Ascorbic Acid/pharmacology , Barrett Esophagus/metabolism , Epithelial Cells/drug effects , Epithelial Cells/metabolism , Esophagus/metabolism , Apoptosis/drug effects , Cell Line, Transformed , Cell Proliferation/drug effects , Coculture Techniques , Epidermal Growth Factor/pharmacology , Humans
18.
Cancer Prev Res (Phila) ; 3(11): 1388-97, 2010 Nov.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-20947487

ABSTRACT

Neoplastic progression is an evolutionary process driven by the generation of clonal diversity and natural selection on that diversity within a neoplasm. We hypothesized that clonal diversity is associated with risk of progression to cancer. We obtained molecular data from a cohort of 239 participants with Barrett's esophagus, including microsatellite shifts and loss of heterozygosity, DNA content tetraploidy and aneuploidy, methylation, and sequence mutations. Using these data, we tested all major diversity measurement methods, including genetic divergence and entropy-based measures, to determine which measures are correlated with risk of progression to esophageal adenocarcinoma. We also tested whether the use of different sets of loci and alterations to define clones (e.g., selectively advantageous versus evolutionarily neutral) improved the predictive value of the diversity indices. All diversity measures were strong and highly significant predictors of progression (Cox proportional hazards model, P < 0.001). The type of alterations evaluated had little effect on the predictive value of most of the diversity measures. In summary, diversity measures are robust predictors of progression to cancer in this cohort.


Subject(s)
Adenocarcinoma/genetics , Barrett Esophagus/genetics , Biomarkers, Tumor/genetics , Esophageal Neoplasms/genetics , Adenocarcinoma/pathology , Adult , Aged , Barrett Esophagus/pathology , Cell Separation , Clone Cells , DNA Methylation , Disease Progression , Esophageal Neoplasms/pathology , Female , Flow Cytometry , Genotype , Humans , Loss of Heterozygosity , Male , Microsatellite Repeats , Middle Aged , Mutation , Proportional Hazards Models
19.
Adv Exp Med Biol ; 676: 1-13, 2010.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-20687466

ABSTRACT

Aneuploidy is a ubiquitous feature of cancer and pre-cancerous lesions, yet its significance is poorly characterized. In this chapter, we review the role oftetraploidy and aneuploidy in progression. We examine how aneuploidy may contribute to the evolutionary dynamics prevalent in neoplastic progression, considering whether aneuploidy itself is selectively neutral or advantageous or if it simply acts as a mechanism for the more rapid accumulation of mutations increasing survival and reproduction of cancer cells. We also review evidence from Barrett's esophagus, a pre-malignant condition, demonstrating that tetraploidy and aneuploidy are correlated with an increased risk of progression to cancer. Ultimately, we aim provide testable hypotheses and methods for understanding the role of aneuploidy in cancer.


Subject(s)
Aneuploidy , Neoplasms , Polyploidy , Precancerous Conditions , Animals , Barrett Esophagus/genetics , Barrett Esophagus/metabolism , Barrett Esophagus/pathology , Humans , Mutation , Neoplasms/genetics , Neoplasms/metabolism , Neoplasms/pathology , Neoplasms/physiopathology , Precancerous Conditions/genetics , Precancerous Conditions/metabolism , Precancerous Conditions/pathology , Precancerous Conditions/physiopathology
20.
J Clin Invest ; 120(2): 401-3, 2010 Feb.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-20101092

ABSTRACT

The role of genetic heterogeneity within neoplasms is increasingly recognized as important for understanding the dynamics of cancer progression, cancer stem cells, and therapeutic resistance, and there is interest in intratumoral heterogeneity measurements as potential biomarkers for risk stratification. In this issue of the JCI, Park et al. characterize this genetic diversity in carcinoma in situ and in invasive regions from 3 types of human breast cancers and lay the groundwork for translation of these measures to the clinic.


Subject(s)
Genetic Variation , Neoplasms/genetics , Breast Neoplasms/genetics , Carcinoma in Situ/genetics , Disease Progression , Female , Humans , Incidence , Neoplasms/epidemiology , Neoplasms/pathology , Neoplastic Stem Cells/pathology , Precancerous Conditions/genetics
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