Measures of body fatness and height in early and mid-to-late adulthood and prostate cancer: risk and mortality in The Pooling Project of Prospective Studies of Diet and Cancer.

BACKGROUND: Advanced prostate cancer etiology is poorly understood. Few studies have examined associations of anthropometric factors (e.g. early adulthood obesity) with advanced prostate cancer risk. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We carried out pooled analyses to examine associations between body fatness, height, and prostate cancer risk. Among 830 772 men, 51 734 incident prostate cancer cases were identified, including 4762 advanced (T4/N1/M1 or prostate cancer deaths) cases, 2915 advanced restricted (same as advanced, but excluding localized cancers that resulted in death) cases, 9489 high-grade cases, and 3027 prostate cancer deaths. Cox proportional hazards models were used to calculate study-specific hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI); results were pooled using random effects models. RESULTS: No statistically significant associations were observed for body mass index (BMI) in early adulthood for advanced, advanced restricted, and high-grade prostate cancer, and prostate cancer mortality. Positive associations were shown for BMI at baseline with advanced prostate cancer (HR = 1.30, 95% CI = 0.95-1.78) and prostate cancer mortality (HR = 1.52, 95% CI = 1.12-2.07) comparing BMI ≥35.0 kg/m2 with 21-22.9 kg/m2. When considering early adulthood and baseline BMI together, a 27% higher prostate cancer mortality risk (95% CI = 9% to 49%) was observed for men with BMI <25.0 kg/m2 in early adulthood and BMI ≥30.0 kg/m2 at baseline compared with BMI <25.0 kg/m2 in early adulthood and BMI <30.0 kg/m2 at baseline. Baseline waist circumference, comparing ≥110 cm with <90 cm, and waist-to-hip ratio, comparing ≥1.00 with <0.90, were associated with significant 14%-16% increases in high-grade prostate cancer risk and suggestive or significant 20%-39% increases in prostate cancer mortality risk. Height was associated with suggestive or significant 33%-56% risks of advanced or advanced restricted prostate cancer and prostate cancer mortality, comparing ≥1.90 m with <1.65 m. CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that height and total and central adiposity in mid-to-later adulthood, but not early adulthood adiposity, are associated with risk of advanced forms of prostate cancer. Thus, maintenance of healthy weight may help prevent advanced prostate cancer.

Vitamin B6 catabolism and lung cancer risk: results from the Lung Cancer Cohort Consortium (LC3).

BACKGROUND: Increased vitamin B6 catabolism related to inflammation, as measured by the PAr index (the ratio of 4-pyridoxic acid over the sum of pyridoxal and pyridoxal-5'-phosphate), has been positively associated with lung cancer risk in two prospective European studies. However, the extent to which this association translates to more diverse populations is not known. MATERIALS AND METHODS: For this study, we included 5323 incident lung cancer cases and 5323 controls individually matched by age, sex, and smoking status within each of 20 prospective cohorts from the Lung Cancer Cohort Consortium. Cohort-specific odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for the association between PAr and lung cancer risk were calculated using conditional logistic regression and pooled using random-effects models. RESULTS: PAr was positively associated with lung cancer risk in a dose-response fashion. Comparing the fourth versus first quartiles of PAr resulted in an OR of 1.38 (95% CI: 1.19-1.59) for overall lung cancer risk. The association between PAr and lung cancer risk was most prominent in former smokers (OR: 1.69, 95% CI: 1.36-2.10), men (OR: 1.60, 95% CI: 1.28-2.00), and for cancers diagnosed within 3 years of blood draw (OR: 1.73, 95% CI: 1.34-2.23). CONCLUSION: Based on pre-diagnostic data from 20 cohorts across 4 continents, this study confirms that increased vitamin B6 catabolism related to inflammation and immune activation is associated with a higher risk of developing lung cancer. Moreover, PAr may be a pre-diagnostic marker of lung cancer rather than a causal factor.

No association between circulating concentrations of vitamin D and risk of lung cancer: an analysis in 20 prospective studies in the Lung Cancer Cohort Consortium (LC3).

Background: There is observational evidence suggesting that high vitamin D concentrations may protect against lung cancer. To investigate this hypothesis in detail, we measured circulating vitamin D concentrations in prediagnostic blood from 20 cohorts participating in the Lung Cancer Cohort Consortium (LC3). Patients and methods: The study included 5313 lung cancer cases and 5313 controls. Blood samples for the cases were collected, on average, 5 years before lung cancer diagnosis. Controls were individually matched to the cases by cohort, sex, age, race/ethnicity, date of blood collection, and smoking status in five categories. Liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry was used to separately analyze 25-hydroxyvitamin D2 [25(OH)D2] and 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 [25(OH)D3] and their concentrations were combined to give an overall measure of 25(OH)D. We used conditional logistic regression to calculate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for 25(OH)D as both continuous and categorical variables. Results: Overall, no apparent association between 25(OH)D and risk of lung cancer was observed (multivariable adjusted OR for a doubling in concentration: 0.98, 95% CI: 0.91, 1.06). Similarly, we found no clear evidence of interaction by cohort, sex, age, smoking status, or histology. Conclusion: This study did not support an association between vitamin D concentrations and lung cancer risk.

Maternal fumonisin exposure as a risk factor for neural tube defects.

Fumonisins are mycotoxins produced by the fungus F. verticillioides, a common contaminant of maize (corn) worldwide. Maternal consumption of fumonisin B(1)-contaminated maize during early pregnancy has recently been associated with increased risk for neural tube defects (NTDs) in human populations that rely heavily on maize as a dietary staple. Experimental administration of purified fumonisin to mice early in gestation also results in an increased incidence of NTDs in exposed offspring. Fumonisin inhibits the enzyme ceramide synthase in de novo sphingolipid biosynthesis, resulting in an elevation of free sphingoid bases and depletion of downstream glycosphingolipids. Increased sphingoid base metabolites (i.e., sphinganine-1-phosphate) may perturb signaling cascades involved in embryonic morphogenesis by functioning as ligands for sphingosine-1-P (S1P) receptors, a family of G-protein-coupled receptors that regulate key biological processes such as cell survival/proliferation, differentiation and migration. Fumonisin-induced depletion of glycosphingolipids impairs expression and function of the GPI-anchored folate receptor (Folr1), which may also contribute to adverse pregnancy outcomes. NTDs appear to be multifactorial in origin, involving complex gene-nutrient-environment interactions. Vitamin supplements containing folic acid have been shown to reduce the occurrence of NTDs, and may help protect the developing fetus from environmental teratogens. Fumonisins appear to be an environmental risk factor for birth defects, although other aspects of maternal nutrition and genetics play interactive roles in determining pregnancy outcome. Minimizing exposures to mycotoxins through enhanced agricultural practices, identifying biomarkers of exposure, characterizing mechanisms of toxicity, and improving maternal nutrition are all important strategies for reducing the NTD burden in susceptible human populations.

Folate receptor function is regulated in response to different cellular growth rates in cultured mammalian cells.

The folate receptor (FR) binds physiologic folates with nmol/L affinities and is expected to play an important role in transporting serum folates into cells that express this receptor. Although it has been shown that FR expression increases when extracellular levels of folate are low, whether this receptor is regulated in response to altered cellular requirements for folates or by intracellular levels of this vitamin has not been investigated. In this study, FR levels, FR function and cellular folate levels were measured in cells with different growth rates to investigate FR regulation of this receptor under conditions in which cellular requirements for folate are altered. These experiments used cells that endogenously express FR (JAR, Caco-2 and MA-104) and cells stably transfected with this receptor (FRGPI-16 and FRTM-8). FR function decreased as cellular growth slowed in four of the five cell lines examined. Although cellular folate levels also decreased as cells reached confluence, the total amount of cellular folate in the culture remained constant, suggesting the depleted cellular folate was because of the cell partitioning its pool throughout cell division, not because of decreased FR function. Conversely, there was an inverse association with FR levels and cell growth (r = -0.998 to -0.999, P < 0.05) in cells endogenously expressing FR, with a significant increase in the percentage of total FR located in an intracellular compartment as growth slowed. These results suggest FR function is regulated by cellular requirements for folates but not in response to changing FR levels or cellular levels of this vitamin.

GPI anchoring leads to sphingolipid-dependent retention of endocytosed proteins in the recycling endosomal compartment.

Glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI) anchoring is important for the function of several proteins in the context of their membrane trafficking pathways. We have shown previously that endocytosed GPI-anchored proteins (GPI-APs) are recycled to the plasma membrane three times more slowly than other membrane components. Recently, we found that GPI-APs are delivered to endocytic organelles, devoid of markers of the clathrin-mediated pathway, prior to their delivery to a common recycling endosomal compartment (REC). Here we show that the rate-limiting step in the recycling of GPI-APs is their slow exit from the REC; replacement of the GPI anchor with a transmembrane protein sequence abolishes retention in this compartment. Depletion of endogenous sphingolipid levels using sphingolipid synthesis inhibitors or in a sphingolipid-synthesis mutant cell line specifically enhances the rate of endocytic recycling of GPI-APs to that of other membrane components. We have shown previously that endocytic retention of GPI-APs is also relieved by cholesterol depletion. These findings strongly suggest that functional retention of GPI-APs in the REC occurs via their association with sphingolipid and cholesterol-enriched sorting platforms or 'rafts'.

Clostridium septicum alpha toxin uses glycosylphosphatidylinositol-anchored protein receptors.

The alpha toxin produced by Clostridium septicum is a channel-forming protein that is an important contributor to the virulence of the organism. Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells are sensitive to low concentrations of the toxin, indicating that they contain toxin receptors. Using retroviral mutagenesis, a mutant CHO line (BAG15) was generated that is resistant to alpha toxin. FACS analysis showed that the mutant cells have lost the ability to bind the toxin, indicating that they lack an alpha toxin receptor. The mutant cells are also resistant to aerolysin, a channel-forming protein secreted by Aeromonas spp., which is structurally and functionally related to alpha toxin and which is known to bind to glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI)-anchored proteins, such as Thy-1. We obtained evidence that the BAG15 cells lack N-acetylglucosaminyl-phosphatidylinositol deacetylase-L, needed for the second step in GPI anchor biosynthesis. Several lymphocyte cell lines lacking GPI-anchored proteins were also shown to be less sensitive to alpha toxin. On the other hand, the sensitivity of CHO cells to alpha toxin was increased when the cells were transfected with the GPI-anchored folate receptor. We conclude that alpha toxin, like aerolysin, binds to GPI-anchored protein receptors. Evidence is also presented that the two toxins bind to different subsets of GPI-anchored proteins.

Stimulation of glycosylphosphatidylinositol biosynthesis in mammalian cell-free systems by GTP hydrolysis: evidence for the involvement of membrane fusion.

The second step in glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI) biosynthesis, the deacetylation of GlcNAc-phosphatidylinositol (GlcNAc-PI), has been shown to be stimulated by GTP hydrolysis [Stevens (1993) J. Biol. Chem. 268, 9718-9724]. We have now developed a system to study this regulation that uses microsomes from cells defective in the first step in GPI biosynthesis (class A, C and H lymphoma mutants) and the second reaction in the pathway (G9PLAP.85). With this mixed-microsome system, the deacetylation of GlcNAc-PI was almost completely dependent on GTP hydrolysis. Because GlcNAc-PI synthesized by the G9PLAP.85 microsomes cannot readily move to the first-step-mutant microsomes to be deacetylated, this result indicated that the role of GTP was to facilitate the 'apparent' transfer of this substrate between membrane vesicles. The microsomes could be stably preactivated by pretreatment with GTP before GPI biosynthesis was initiated, indicating that fusion was the most likely mechanism for this regulation. GlcNAc-PI deacetylation could also be stably preactivated in EL4 microsomes, suggesting that fusion also occurred in wild-type membranes. Some differential localization of the GlcNAc-PI synthetic and deacetylation activities with the endoplasmic reticulum was found. Therefore fusion seems to stimulate GPI biosynthesis in mammalian microsomes by bringing together the first two enzymes in the pathway in the same membrane vesicle.

Fumonisin B1-induced sphingolipid depletion inhibits vitamin uptake via the glycosylphosphatidylinositol-anchored folate receptor.

The folate receptor, like many glycosylphosphatidylinositol-anchored proteins, is found associated with membrane domains that are insoluble in Triton X-100 at low temperature and that are enriched in cholesterol and sphingolipids. Depletion of cellular cholesterol has been shown to inhibit vitamin uptake by this receptor (Chang, W. -J., Rothberg, K. G., Kamen, B. A., and Anderson, R. G. W. (1993) J. Cell Biol. 118, 63-69), suggesting that these domains regulate this process. In this study, the importance of sphingolipids for folate receptor function was investigated in Caco-2 cells using fumonisin B1, a mycotoxin that inhibits the biosynthesis of these lipids. The folate receptor-mediated transport of 5-methyltetrahydrofolate was almost completely blocked in cells in which sphingolipids had been reduced by approximately 40%. This inhibition was dependent on the concentration and duration of the treatment with the mycotoxin and was mediated by the sphingolipid decrease. Neither receptor-mediated nor facilitative transport was inhibited by fumonisin B1 treatment, indicating that the effect of sphingolipid depletion was specific for folate receptor-mediated vitamin uptake. A concurrent loss in the total amount of folate binding capacity in the cells was seen as sphingolipids were depleted, suggesting a causal relationship between folate receptor number and vitamin uptake. These findings suggest that dietary exposure to fumonisin B1 could adversely affect folate uptake and potentially compromise cellular processes dependent on this vitamin. Furthermore, because folate deficiency causes neural tube defects, some birth defects unexplained by other known risk factors may be caused by exposure to fumonisin B1.

Expression cloning of PIG-L, a candidate N-acetylglucosaminyl-phosphatidylinositol deacetylase.

Many eukaryotic cell surface proteins are bound to the cell membrane by a glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI) anchor. Several genes involved in GPI anchor biosynthesis have been cloned using complementation of mutant mammalian cell lines and yeasts that are defective in its biosynthesis pathway. However, the gene involved in the second step of this pathway, in which N-acetylglucosaminyl-phosphatidylinositol (GlcNAc-PI) is N-deacetylated to form glucosaminyl (GlcN)-PI, has not been cloned. In this study, we established a GPI anchor-deficient mutant of Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells defective in the second step. Complementation analysis with the known GPI anchor mutant cells demonstrated that it belonged to the same complementation group as the CHO cell mutant G9PLAP.85. Using the new mutant, we cloned a rat gene termed PIG-L (for phosphatidylinositol glycan class L) that is involved in this step. PIG-L encodes a 252-amino acid, endoplasmic reticulum membrane protein, most of which is in the cytoplasmic side. This orientation of PIG-L protein is consistent with the notion that the second step of GPI anchor biosynthesis occurs on the cytoplasmic side of the endoplasmic reticulum.

Isolation and characterization of a Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) mutant defective in the second step of glycosylphosphatidylinositol biosynthesis.

Mutant cell lines defective in the biosynthesis of glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI) described to date were isolated by selecting cells which no longer expressed one or more endogenous GPI-anchored proteins on their surface. In this study, a new mutant in this pathway was isolated from ethylmethane-sulphonate-mutagenized Chinese hamster ovary cells stably transfected with human placental alkaline phosphatase (PLAP) as a marker of GPI-anchored proteins. A three-step protocol was employed. In the first step, cells with decreased surface expression of PLAP were selected by four rounds of complement-mediated lysis with an anti-(alkaline phosphatase) antibody. The surviving cells were cloned by limiting dilution and those with low levels of total alkaline phosphatase activity were selected in the second step. Finally, the ability of each clone to synthesize the first three intermediates in GPI biosynthesis in vitro was assessed to determine which cells with low alkaline phosphatase activity harboured a defect in one of these reactions. Of 230 potential mutants, one was defective in the second step of GPI biosynthesis. Microsomes from this mutant, designated G9PLAP.85, were completely unable to deacetylate either endogenous GlcNAc-phosphatidylinositol (PI) synthesized from UDP[6-3H]GlcNAc or exogenous GlcNAc-PI added directly to the membranes. Complementation analysis with the Thy-1-deficient murine lymphoma cells demonstrated that G9PLAP.85 has a molecular defect distinct from these previously described mutants. Therefore, these results suggest that mutants in GPI biosynthesis could be selected from almost any cell line expressing a GPI-anchored marker protein.

Coenzyme A dependence of glycosylphosphatidylinositol biosynthesis in a mammalian cell-free system.

The biosynthesis of glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI) in mammals and yeast involves a step not observed in trypanosomes. This reaction, which is the inositol acylation of glucosamine phosphatidylinositol (GlcN-PI), occurs as the third step in the biosynthetic pathway. In this study, conditions were developed to stimulate this reaction in vitro. The synthesis of the GlcN-PI(acyl) from either UDP-[6-3H]GlcNAc or [6-3H] GlcNAc-PI by murine lymphoma cell microsomes was greatly enhanced by the addition of either CoA or palmitoyl-CoA. Stimulation of this reaction was optimal with 1 microM of either compound and required that the precursor, GlcN-PI, be synthesized in the presence of GTP, a specific effector of the formation of this glycolipid. That GlcN-PI(acyl) was generated from GlcN-PI was established by pulse-chase analysis. Because no acyl-chain specificity for acyl-CoA stimulation of GlcN-PI(acyl) synthesis was found and attempts to demonstrate direct transfer of [3H]palmitate from [3H]palmitoyl-CoA to the third intermediate in GPI biosynthesis were unsuccessful, the possibility that free CoA was the activator of this reaction was considered. CoA-stimulated GlcN-PI acylation occurred in the absence of ATP, an essential cofactor for acyl-CoA synthesis, indicating that free CoA is the endogenous effector of the third step in mammalian GPI biosynthesis. This finding is consistent with this inositol acylation being catalyzed by a CoA-dependent transacylase. Mannose-containing GPI intermediates were synthesized in vitro when GDP-mannose was added in the presence of GTP and CoA. Therefore, when effectors of the initial reactions in GPI biosynthesis are included, later steps in this pathway can be studied in mammalian cell-free systems.

GPI biosynthesis in mammalian cells: CoA-dependent acylation of GlcN-PI.

We have used microsomes prepared from murine lymphoma cell lines to investigate the individual reactions by which glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI) is synthesized in mammalian cells. Previously, GTP was found to specifically stimulate the second reaction in the pathway, the deacetylation of GlcNAc-PI to GlcN-PI. An additional GPI precursor was detected in incubations with GTP and was found to be GlcN-PI(acyl), the glycolipid proposed to be the third intermediate in mammalian GPI biosynthesis. Investigation into the factors that affect the formation of GlcN-PI(acyl) revealed that, in the presence of GTP, the addition of either CoA or palmitoyl-CoA to the incubation greatly enhanced the amount of this product made. CoA stimulation of this reaction persisted even when ATP was depleted and no formation of acyl-CoA was possible, indicating that the free CoA rather than an acyl-CoA is the actual effector of GlcN-PI acylation. Therefore, we propose that the third reaction in mammalian GPI biosynthesis is catalyzed by a CoA-dependent transacylase rather than an acyl-CoA acyltransferase.

GPI biosynthesis in mammalian cells: CoA-dependent acylation of GlcN-PI

We have used microsomes prepared from murine lymphoma cell lines to investigate the individual reactions by glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI) is synthesized in mammalian cells. Previously, GTP was found to specifically stimulate the second reaction in the pathway, the deacetylation of GlcNAc-PI to GlcN-PI. An additional GPI precursor was detected in incubations with GTP and was found to be GlcN-PI(acyl), the glycolipid proposed to be the third intermediate in mammalian GPI biosynthesis. Investigation into the factors that affect the formation of GlcN-PI(acyl) revealed that, in the presence of GTP, the addition of either CoA or palmitoyl-CoA to the incubation greatly enhanced the amount of this product made. CoA stimulation of this reaction persisted even when ATP was depleted and no formation of acyl-CoA was possible, indicating that the free CoA rather than an acyl-CoA is the actual effector of GlcN-PI acylation. Therefore, we propose that the third reaction in mammalian GPI biosynthesis is catalyzed by a CoA-dependent transacylase rather than an acyl-CoA acyltransferase

A novel ecto-phosphatidic acid phosphohydrolase activity mediates activation of neutrophil superoxide generation by exogenous phosphatidic acid.

Phosphatidic acid (PA) added to intact cells activates a variety of processes including mitogenesis in fibroblasts and superoxide generation in neutrophils. We have investigated the mechanism of activation of superoxide generation in intact human neutrophils by a short-chain (dioctanoyl) PA (diC8PA). After a lag, diC8PA caused a high rate of superoxide production (19.6 nmol of cytochrome c reduced/min/10(6) cells). Activation did not require extracellular Ca2+ and coincided with near quantitative conversion of diC8PA to dioctanoylglycerol (diC8-glycerol). diC8PA also activated cellular phospholipase D with release of long-chain PA and secondary production of long-chain diradylglycerol (sn-1,2-diacylglycerol and 1-O-alkyl-2-acylglycerol). The metabolism of diC8PA to diC8-glycerol was catalyzed by a novel PA phosphohydrolase on the outer leaflet of the plasma membrane as demonstrated by the exclusive release of Pi into the extracellular medium. This enzyme also showed activity toward PA containing long-chain unsaturated fatty acids. The ecto-PA phosphohydrolase differed from the intracellular PA phosphohydrolase based on its relative insensitivity to desipramine and N-ethylmaleimide. The enzyme was also present in Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells and its activity did not change in transfected CHO cells expressing the two membrane-associated isoforms of alkaline phosphatase, indicating that the PA phosphohydrolase was not alkaline phosphatase. Non-hydrolyzable phosphonate analogs of diC8PA poorly stimulated superoxide production. Activation of superoxide generation by diC8PA was inhibited by staurosporine, suggesting a protein kinase C-dependent mechanism. We suggest that the action of a novel ecto-PA phosphohydrolase permits exogenously added short-chain PA to serve as "timed-release diacylglycerol" and that its biological effects in neutrophils are secondary to diacylglycerol-mediated protein kinase C activation.

Cholesterol trafficking in steroidogenic cells. Reversible cycloheximide-dependent accumulation of cholesterol in a pre-steroidogenic pool.

Peptide hormones activate steroid hormone biosynthesis in responsive tissues by stimulating the delivery of cholesterol to a steroidogenic pool, thought to be located in the inner mitochondrial membrane. At this site, it is metabolized to pregnenolone, the precursor of the steroid hormones, by side-chain-cleaving cytochrome P-450 (cytochrome P-450scc). In the presence aminoglutethimide (an inhibitor of cytochrome P-450scc) and an activating stimulus, cholesterol accumulates in the steroidogenic pool, and increased pregnenolone generation is observed upon removal of the inhibitor. Using Y-1 adrenocortical cells and MA-10 Leydig tumor cells, we now provide evidence for a distinct, functionally relevant cholesterol pool which precedes the steroidogenic pool, which we designate the pre-steroidogenic pool. This pool was defined by activating the cells with 8-bromo-adenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphoric acid in the presence of cycloheximide, an inhibitor of steroidogenesis. Following a wash procedure, which removed 8-bromo-adenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphoric acid and cycloheximide, augmented pregnenolone synthesis was observed. Unlike synthesis from the steroidogenic pool, pregnenolone formation from pre-steroidogenic pool in Y-1 cells indicates that this pool is somewhat smaller than the steroidogenic pool. The results support a cholesterol-trafficking model in which cycloheximide-sensitive transport from the pre-steroidogenic pool to the steroidogenic pool precedes metabolism, and is regulated by cAMP.