Escape from NK cell tumor surveillance by NGFR-induced lipid remodeling in melanoma.

Metastatic disease is a major cause of death for patients with melanoma. Melanoma cells can become metastatic not only due to cell-intrinsic plasticity but also due to cancer-induced protumorigenic remodeling of the immune microenvironment. Here, we report that innate immune surveillance by natural killer (NK) cells is bypassed by human melanoma cells expressing the stem cell marker NGFR. Using in vitro and in vivo cytotoxic assays, we show that NGFR protects melanoma cells from NK cell-mediated killing and, furthermore, boosts metastasis formation in a mouse model with adoptively transferred human NK cells. Mechanistically, NGFR leads to down-regulation of NK cell activating ligands and simultaneous up-regulation of the fatty acid stearoyl-coenzyme A desaturase (SCD) in melanoma cells. Notably, pharmacological and small interfering RNA-mediated inhibition of SCD reverted NGFR-induced NK cell evasion in vitro and in vivo. Hence, NGFR orchestrates immune control antagonizing pathways to protect melanoma cells from NK cell clearance, which ultimately favors metastatic disease.

Loss of YY1, a Regulator of Metabolism in Melanoma, Drives Melanoma Cell Invasiveness and Metastasis Formation.

Deregulation of cellular metabolism through metabolic rewiring and translational reprogramming are considered hallmark traits of tumor development and malignant progression. The transcription factor YY1 is a master regulator of metabolism that we have previously shown to orchestrate a metabolic program required for melanoma formation. In this study, we demonstrate that YY1, while being essential for primary melanoma formation, suppresses metastatic spreading. Its downregulation or loss resulted in the induction of an invasiveness gene program and sensitized melanoma cells for pro-invasive signaling molecules, such as TGF-ß. In addition, NGFR, a key effector in melanoma invasion and phenotype switching, was among the most upregulated genes after YY1 knockdown. High levels of NGFR were also associated with other metabolic stress inducers, further indicating that YY1 knockdown mimics a metabolic stress program associated with an increased invasion potential in melanoma. Accordingly, while counteracting tumor growth, loss of YY1 strongly promoted melanoma cell invasiveness in vitro and metastasis formation in melanoma mouse models in vivo. Thus, our findings show that the metabolic regulator YY1 controls phenotype switching in melanoma.

The genomic organization and expression pattern of the low-affinity Fc gamma receptors (FcγR) in the Göttingen minipig.

Safety and efficacy of therapeutic antibodies are often dependent on their interaction with Fc receptors for IgG (FcγRs). The Göttingen minipig represents a valuable species for biomedical research but its use in preclinical studies with therapeutic antibodies is hampered by the lack of knowledge about the porcine FcγRs. Genome analysis and sequencing now enabled the localization of the previously described FcγRIIIa in the orthologous location to human FCGR3A. In addition, we identified nearby the gene coding for the hitherto undescribed putative porcine FcγRIIa. The 1'241 bp long FCGR2A cDNA translates to a 274aa transmembrane protein containing an extracellular region with high similarity to human and cattle FcγRIIa. Like in cattle, the intracellular part does not contain an immunoreceptor tyrosine-based activation motif (ITAM) as in human FcγRIIa. Flow cytometry of the whole blood and single-cell RNA sequencing of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of Göttingen minipigs revealed the expression profile of all porcine FcγRs which is compared to human and mouse. The new FcγRIIa is mainly expressed on platelets making the minipig a good model to study IgG-mediated platelet activation and aggregation. In contrast to humans, minipig blood monocytes were found to express inhibitory FcγRIIb that could lead to the underestimation of FcγR-mediated effects of monocytes observed in minipig studies with therapeutic antibodies.

Synthesis and Cell Interaction of Statistical l-Arginine-Glycine-l-Aspartic Acid Terpolypeptides.

Copolymerizations and terpolymerizations of N-carboxyanhydrides (NCAs) of glycine (Gly), Nδ-carbobenzyloxy-l-ornithine (Z-Orn), and ß-benzyl-l-aspartate (Bz-Asp) were investigated. In situ 1H NMR spectroscopy was used to monitor individual comonomer consumptions during binary and ternary copolymerizations. The six relevant reactivity ratios were determined from copolymerizations of the NCAs of amino acids via nonlinear least-squares curve fitting. The reactivity ratios were subsequently used to maximize the occurrence of the Asp-Gly-Orn ( DGR') sequence in the terpolymers. Terpolymers with variable probability of occurrence of DGR' were prepared in the lab. Subsequently, the ornithine residues on the terpolymers were converted to l-arginine (R) residues via guanidination reaction after removal of the protecting groups. The resulting DGR terpolymers translate to traditional peptides and proteins with variable RGD content, due to the convention in nomenclature that peptides are depicted from N- to C-terminus, whereas the NCA ring-opening polymerization is conducted from C- to N-terminus. The l-arginine containing terpolymers were evaluated for cell interaction, where it was found that neuronal cells display enhanced adhesion and process formation when plated in the presence of statistical DGR terpolymers.

Cancer tolerance, resistance, pathogenicity and virulence: deconstructing the disease state.

Immunologists have recently taken note of the fact that a host not only resists infection, but also exhibits a capacity to manage the pathology associated with such infection - a concept referred to as tolerance. Here we explore how the tolerance/resistance (T/R) framework can be implemented within an oncological context and explore a number of implications. In particular, the T/R framework distinguishes between pathology manifesting from extensive tumor burden, versus cancers intrinsically expressing a more pathogenic phenotype. Consequently, the T/R framework provides novel methodology in studying the nature of cancer pathology and for marker identification. Additionally, this framework may aid in redefining the therapeutic end point under suitable circumstances: establishing cancer as a chronic, manageable disease.

Bcl-2 confers survival in cisplatin treated cervical cancer cells: circumventing cisplatin dose-dependent toxicity and resistance.

BACKGROUND: Cisplatin is the main chemotherapeutic drug for the treatment of cervical cancers, however resistance to cisplatin is increasingly common and therefore has limited the efficacy and use of this drug in the clinic. Dose-dependent toxicity poses an additional challenge since patients suffer long-term and often permanent side-effects after treatment. Bcl-2 up-regulation has been implicated in the resistance to cisplatin in a variety of cancer cell lines, however its role in cervical cancer is confounding. METHODS: A low, non-cytotoxic concentration of cisplatin was used in the treatment of HeLa and CaSki cells. Bcl-2 expression was determined through Western blotting and immunocytochemistry before and after treatment with cisplatin. To assess the reliance of the cervical cancer cells on Bcl-2 in the presence of cisplatin, Bcl-2 knock-down was achieved through RNA interference, where after apoptosis was assessed through PARP cleavage (Western blotting), Caspase activity (Caspase-Glo(©)) and PI inclusion analysis (Flow cytometry). Finally, pre-malignant and malignant cervical tissue was analysed for the presence of Bcl-2 through Western blotting and immunofluorescence. RESULTS: Cervical cancer cells upregulate Bcl-2 when treated with a non-cytotoxic concentration of cisplatin, which when silenced, effectively enhanced cisplatin sensitivity, and therefore significantly induced apoptosis. Analysis of the expression profile of Bcl-2 in cervical tissue revealed its up-regulation in cervical carcinoma, which agrees with results obtained from the in vitro data. CONCLUSIONS: Our data strongly suggest that utilising a lower dose of cisplatin is feasible when combined with Bcl-2 silencing as an adjuvant treatment, thereby improving both the dose-dependent toxicity, as well as cervical cancer resistance.

A nontoxic concentration of cisplatin induces autophagy in cervical cancer: selective cancer cell death with autophagy inhibition as an adjuvant treatment.

BACKGROUND: Increasing resistance to cisplatin as well as the severity of the adverse effects limit the use of this drug, particularly at high doses. Evidence has implicated the importance of autophagy in cancer resistance as well as the fact that various chemotherapy agents induce autophagy in cancer cells. We therefore aimed to first assess the role of autophagy in cisplatin treatment and second to assess whether a nontoxic concentration of cisplatin, together with autophagy inhibition, is able to maintain its cancer-specific cytotoxic action. METHODS: Three human cervical cell lines were used: a noncancerous ectocervical epithelial cell line (Ect1/E6E7) and 2 cancerous cervical cell lines (HeLa and CaSki). Autophagy was monitored through the presence of the classical protein markers LC-3 II and p62 under basal and treatment conditions, and inhibited using bafilomycin and autophagy protein 5 (ATG5) siRNA under treatment conditions. Cell death was analyzed through examination of the apoptotic markers PARP and caspase-3 through Western blotting, as well as the Caspase-Glo assay to confirm caspase-3/7 activity. Cervical biopsies were analyzed for the presence of LC-3 using Western blotting and immunofluorescence to determine if a correlation between autophagic levels and the progression of the disease exists. RESULTS: Cervical cancer cells exhibit increased basal autophagic levels in comparison to the noncancerous counterparts. Cisplatin treatment enhanced autophagic activity in all 3 cell lines. Inhibition of this autophagic response together with cisplatin treatment leads to significant increases in cancer cell death. Expression profiles of LC-3 in normal, premalignant (low-grade and high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion), and cancerous cervical tissue revealed that autophagy is significantly up-regulated in HSILs and carcinoma cervical tissue, which emphasized the role of autophagy in the progression of the disease. CONCLUSIONS: The inhibition of autophagy improves the cytotoxicity of a nontoxic concentration of cisplatin and provides a promising new avenue for the future treatment of cervical cancer.

St John's Wort (Hypericum perforatum L.) photomedicine: hypericin-photodynamic therapy induces metastatic melanoma cell death.

Hypericin, an extract from St John's Wort (Hypericum perforatum L.), is a promising photosensitizer in the context of clinical photodynamic therapy due to its excellent photosensitizing properties and tumoritropic characteristics. Hypericin-PDT induced cytotoxicity elicits tumor cell death by various mechanisms including apoptosis, necrosis and autophagy-related cell death. However, limited reports on the efficacy of this photomedicine for the treatment of melanoma have been published. Melanoma is a highly aggressive tumor due to its metastasizing potential and resistance to conventional cancer therapies. The aim of this study was to investigate the response mechanisms of melanoma cells to hypericin-PDT in an in vitro tissue culture model. Hypericin was taken up by all melanoma cells and partially co-localized to the endoplasmic reticulum, mitochondria, lysosomes and melanosomes, but not the nucleus. Light activation of hypericin induced a rapid, extensive modification of the tubular mitochondrial network into a beaded appearance, loss of structural details of the endoplasmic reticulum and concomitant loss of hypericin co-localization. Surprisingly the opposite was found for lysosomal-related organelles, suggesting that the melanoma cells may be using these intracellular organelles for hypericin-PDT resistance. In line with this speculation we found an increase in cellular granularity, suggesting an increase in pigmentation levels in response to hypericin-PDT. Pigmentation in melanoma is related to a melanocyte-specific organelle, the melanosome, which has recently been implicated in drug trapping, chemotherapy and hypericin-PDT resistance. However, hypericin-PDT was effective in killing both unpigmented (A375 and 501mel) and pigmented (UCT Mel-1) melanoma cells by specific mechanisms involving the externalization of phosphatidylserines, cell shrinkage and loss of cell membrane integrity. In addition, this treatment resulted in extrinsic (A375) and intrinsic (UCT Mel-1) caspase-dependent apoptotic modes of cell death, as well as a caspase-independent apoptotic mode that did not involve apoptosis-inducing factor (501 mel). Further research is needed to shed more light on these mechanisms.

Doxorubicin induces protein ubiquitination and inhibits proteasome activity during cardiotoxicity.

Anthracycline-induced cardiotoxicity is a clinically complex syndrome that leads to substantial morbidity and mortality for cancer survivors. Despite several years of research, the underlying molecular mechanisms remain largely undefined and thus effective therapies to manage this condition are currently non-existent. This study therefore aimed to determine the contribution of the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway (UPP) and endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-stress within this context. Cardiotoxicity was induced with the use of doxorubicin (DXR) in H9C2 rat cardiomyoblasts (3 µM) for 24 h, whereas the tumour-bearing GFP-LC3 mouse model was treated with a cumulative dose of 20 mg/kg. Markers for proteasome-specific protein degradation were significantly upregulated in both models following DXR treatment, however proteasome activity was lost. Moreover, ER-stress as assessed by increased ER load was considerably augmented (in vitro) with modest binding of DXR with ER. These results suggest that DXR induces intrinsic activation of the UPP and ER stress which ultimately contributes to dysfunction of the myocardium during this phenomenon.

Autophagy upregulation promotes survival and attenuates doxorubicin-induced cardiotoxicity.

This study evaluated whether the manipulation of autophagy could attenuate the cardiotoxic effects of doxorubicin (DXR) in vitro as well as in a tumour-bearing mouse model of acute doxorubicin-induced cardiotoxicity. We examined the effect of an increase or inhibition of autophagy in combination with DXR on apoptosis, reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and mitochondrial function. H9C2 rat cardiac myoblasts were pre-treated with bafilomycin A1 (autophagy inhibitor, 10 nM) or rapamycin (autophagy inducer, 50 µM) followed by DXR treatment (3 µM). The augmentation of autophagy with rapamycin in the presence of DXR substantially ameliorated the detrimental effects induced by DXR. This combination treatment demonstrated improved cell viability, decreased apoptosis and ROS production and enhanced mitochondrial function. To corroborate these findings, GFP-LC3 mice were inoculated with a mouse breast cancer cell line (EO771). Following the appearance of tumours, animals were either treated with one injection of rapamycin (4 mg/kg) followed by two injections of DXR (10 mg/kg). Mice were then sacrificed and their hearts rapidly excised and utilized for biochemical and histological analyses. The combination treatment, rather than the combinants alone, conferred a cardioprotective effect. These hearts expressed down-regulation of the pro-apoptotic protein caspase-3 and cardiomyocyte cross-sectional area was preserved. These results strongly indicate that the co-treatment strategy with rapamycin can attenuate the cardiotoxic effects of DXR in a tumour-bearing mouse model.

Daunorubicin therapy is associated with upregulation of E3 ubiquitin ligases in the heart.

Daunorubicin (DNR) and doxorubicin (DOX) are two of the most effective anthracycline drugs known for the treatment of systemic neoplasms and solid tumors. However, their clinical use is hampered due to profound cardiotoxicity. The mechanism by which DNR injures the heart remains to be fully elucidated. Recent reports have indicated that DOX activates ubiquitin proteasome-mediated degradation of specific transcription factors; however, no reports exist on the effect of DNR on the E3 ubiquitin ligases, MURF-1 (muscle ring finger 1) and MAFbx (muscle atrophy F-box). The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of DNR treatment on the protein and organelle degradation systems in the heart and to elucidate some of the signalling mechanisms involved. Adult rats were divided into two groups where one group received six intraperitoneal injections of 2 mg/kg DNR on alternate days and the other group received saline injections as control. Hearts were excised and perfused on a working heart system the day after the last injection and freeze-clamped for biochemical analysis. DNR treatment significantly attenuated cardiac function and increased apoptosis in the heart. DNR-induced cardiac cytotoxicity was associated with upregulation of the E3 ligases, MURF-1 and MAFbx and also caused significant increases in two markers of autophagy, beclin-1 and LC3. These changes observed in the heart were also associated with attenuation of the phosphoinositide 3-kinase/Akt signalling pathway.

Myomegalin is a novel A-kinase anchoring protein involved in the phosphorylation of cardiac myosin binding protein C.

BACKGROUND: Cardiac contractility is regulated by dynamic phosphorylation of sarcomeric proteins by kinases such as cAMP-activated protein kinase A (PKA). Efficient phosphorylation requires that PKA be anchored close to its targets by A-kinase anchoring proteins (AKAPs). Cardiac Myosin Binding Protein-C (cMyBPC) and cardiac troponin I (cTNI) are hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM)-causing sarcomeric proteins which regulate contractility in response to PKA phosphorylation. RESULTS: During a yeast 2-hybrid (Y2H) library screen using a trisphosphorylation mimic of the C1-C2 region of cMyBPC, we identified isoform 4 of myomegalin (MMGL) as an interactor of this N-terminal cMyBPC region. As MMGL has previously been shown to interact with phosphodiesterase 4D, we speculated that it may be a PKA-anchoring protein (AKAP).To investigate this possibility, we assessed the ability of MMGL isoform 4 to interact with PKA regulatory subunits R1A and R2A using Y2H-based direct protein-protein interaction assays. Additionally, to further elucidate the function of MMGL, we used it as bait to screen a cardiac cDNA library. Other PKA targets, viz. CARP, COMMD4, ENO1, ENO3 and cTNI were identified as putative interactors, with cTNI being the most frequent interactor.We further assessed and confirmed these interactions by fluorescent 3D-co-localization in differentiated H9C2 cells as well as by in vivo co-immunoprecipitation. We also showed that quantitatively more interaction occurs between MMGL and cTNI under ß-adrenergic stress. Moreover, siRNA-mediated knockdown of MMGL leads to reduction of cMyBPC levels under conditions of adrenergic stress, indicating that MMGL-assisted phosphorylation is requisite for protection of cMyBPC against proteolytic cleavage. CONCLUSIONS: This study ascribes a novel function to MMGL isoform 4: it meets all criteria for classification as an AKAP, and we show that is involved in the phosphorylation of cMyBPC as well as cTNI, hence MMGL is an important regulator of cardiac contractility. This has further implications for understanding the patho-aetiology of HCM-causing mutations in the genes encoding cMyBPC and cTNI, and raises the question of whether MMGL might itself be considered a candidate HCM-causing or modifying factor.

Diet-induced obesity alters signalling pathways and induces atrophy and apoptosis in skeletal muscle in a prediabetic rat model.

Pro-inflammatory and stress-activated signalling pathways are important role players in the pathogenesis of obesity and insulin resistance. Obesity and type II diabetes are associated with chronic, low-grade inflammation and elevated tumour necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) levels. There is increasing evidence that TNF-α may play a critical role in skeletal muscle atrophy. However, the effects of obesity-induced insulin resistance on these signalling pathways are poorly understood in skeletal muscle. Therefore, the present study addressed the effects of obesity-induced insulin resistance on the activity of the ubiquitin ligases, nuclear factor-B, p38 MAPK and phosphoinositide 3-kinase signalling pathways in the gastrocnemius muscle and compared these with muscle of standard chow-fed control rats. Male Wistar rats were randomly allocated to a control diet group (standard commercial chow; 60% carbohydrates, 30% protein and 10% fat) or a cafeteria diet group (65% carbohydrates, 19% protein and 16% fat) for 16 weeks. Blood analysis was conducted to determine the impact of the model of obesity on circulating insulin, glucose, free fatty acids, TNF-α and angiotensin II concentrations. The experimental animals were 18% heavier and had 68% greater visceral fat mass than their control counterparts and were dyslipidaemic. Significant increases in the ubiquitin ligase and MuRF-1, as well as in caspase-3 and poly-ADP-ribose polymerase cleavage were observed in the muscle of obese animals compared with the control rats. We propose that dyslipidaemia may be a mechanism for the activation of inflammatory/stress-activated signalling pathways in obesity and type II diabetes, which will lead to apoptosis and atrophy in skeletal muscle.

Cell death: a dynamic response concept.

Autophagy, apoptosis and necrosis have previously been described as distinct static processes that induce and execute cell death. Due to an increased use of novel techniques in mapping cellular death-techniques which allow for reporting of real-time data-the existence of "grey zones" between cell death modes and the existence of the "point of no return" within these have been revealed. This revelation demands the integration of new concepts in describing the cellular death process. Furthermore, since the contribution of autophagy in cell death or cell survival is still poorly understood, it is important to accurately describe its function within the dynamic framework of cell death. In this review cell death is viewed as a dynamic and integrative cellular response to ensure the highest likelihood of self-preservation. Suggestions are offered for conceptualizing cell death modes and their morphological features, both individually and in relation to one another. It addresses the need for distinguishing between dying cells and dead cells so as to better locate and control the onset of cell death. Most importantly, the fundamental role of autophagy, autophagic flux, and the effects of the intracellular metabolic environment on the kinetics of the cell death modes are stressed. It also contextualizes the kinetic dimension of cell death as a process and aims to contribute towards a better understanding of autophagy as a key mechanism within this process. Understanding the dynamic nature of the cell death process and autophagy's central role can reveal new insight for therapeutic intervention in preventing cell death.

TGF-beta's delay skeletal muscle progenitor cell differentiation in an isoform-independent manner.

Satellite cells are a quiescent heterogeneous population of mononuclear stem and progenitor cells which, once activated, differentiate into myotubes and facilitate skeletal muscle repair or growth. The Transforming Growth Factor-beta (TGF-beta) superfamily members are elevated post-injury and their importance in the regulation of myogenesis and wound healing has been demonstrated both in vitro and in vivo. Most studies suggest a negative role for TGF-beta on satellite cell differentiation. However, none have compared the effect of these three isoforms on myogenesis in vitro. This is despite known isoform-specific effects of TGF-beta1, -beta2 and -beta3 on wound repair in other tissues. In the current study we compared the effect of TGF-beta1, -beta2 and -beta3 on proliferation and differentiation of the C2C12 myoblast cell-line. We found that, irrespective of the isoform, TGF-beta increased proliferation of C2C12 cells by changing the cellular localisation of PCNA to promote cell division and prevent cell cycle exit. Concomitantly, TGF-beta1, -beta2 and -beta3 delayed myogenic commitment by increasing MyoD degradation and decreasing myogenin expression. Terminal differentiation, as measured by a decrease in myosin heavy chain (MHC) expression, was also delayed. These results demonstrate that TGF-beta promotes proliferation and delays differentiation of C2C12 myoblasts in an isoform-independent manner.

Use of BioGlue surgical adhesive for brow fixation in endoscopic browplasty.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the efficacy, longevity, and safety of BioGlue Surgical Adhesive for periosteal fixation in endoscopic browlifts. METHODS: Retrospective review of 80 patients who underwent endoscopic browlift using BioGlue as the primary means of periosteal fixation. Visits were categorized as preoperative, 1 to 2 months, 3 to 6 months, and 7 to 12 months, and photographs of the first 15 patients were evaluated for change in brow position at each of these visits. Brow position was measured at the lowest brow hairs at the midpupillary and lateral canthus positions. Follow-up was 3 months to 3 years. RESULTS: All of the first 15 patients were included in the 1- to 2-month postoperative grouping, 13 in the 3- to 6-month grouping, and 10 in the 7- to 12-month grouping. At all postoperative visits, brow elevation was significantly maintained during 12-month follow-up. Revision has been required in only 1 of 80 patients to date. CONCLUSIONS: BioGlue is an effective and safe method of maintaining brow position in endoscopic browplasty. Brow elevation achieved using BioGlue was significantly maintained during the 7- to 12-month postoperative period. Tissue adhesives such as BioGlue have the potential to become significant adjuncts in facial plastic surgery and warrant more critical evaluation.

Relevant anatomy for botulinum toxin facial rejuvenation.

Over the last several years, Botox has become an integral treatment modality in the management of facial aging. Through selective chemical denervation, rhytids that are associated with hyperfunctioning muscles can be considerably softened or eliminated. Most practitioners rely on surface anatomy and landmarks to guide accurate needle insertion and Botox therapy. Therefore, a detailed appreciation of the underlying muscular anatomy is paramount in improving the practitioner's cosmetic results and the patients' overall satisfaction.