Utilization of an automated pipetting system in the cell line-based screening of the activity of a DNA-damaging anti-tumour drug.

The principles of large screening strategies, which are developed by industrial companies, have been recently adopted by researchers in the fields of molecular biology and oncology as invaluable tools for translational medicine. The declining costs of laboratory robotic machines have allowed high-throughput screening to become more available to academic centres with limited resources. Here, we describe how a robotic conventional liquid handling system could be used on a daily basis in laboratories to obtain consistent and reproducible results. Our approach allowed us to quickly screen a panel of more than 20 tumorigenic and non-tumorigenic cell lines for their responses to hydroxyurea, which is a DNA-damaging anticancer therapeutic drug. The format of 384-well microplates was used for manual cell seeding, and the effect of hydroxyurea was screened at multiple concentrations. The fluorescence-based CyQuant assay was employed as the readout method to analyse the cellular DNA content. The effectiveness of our approach was demonstrated in the experimental results.

Synthesis and growth inhibitory properties of glucosamine-derived glycerolipids.

[figure: see text] 2-Amino C-glycerolipid 1b was synthesized by using the Ramberg-Bäcklund rearrangement as the key step. beta-C-Glycerolipid 1b exhibits in vitro antiproliferative effects strikingly similar to those of O-glycoside analogue 1a.

Decreased sensitivity to 1-O-octadecyl-2-O-methyl-glycerophosphocholine in MCF-7 cells adapted for serum-free growth correlates with constitutive association of Raf-1 with cellular membranes.

We have previously shown that inhibition of MCF-7 cell proliferation by 1-O-octadecyl-2-O-methyl-glycerophosphocholine (ET-18-OCH3) is linked to a drug-induced decrease in membrane Raf-1 levels and the subsequent inhibition of mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase activation in response to growth factor stimulation. We now report that adaptation of MCF-7 cells for growth in a serum-free formulation results in decreased sensitivity to growth inhibition by ET-18-OCH3. The decrease in ET-18-OCH3 sensitivity occurred progressively during the adaptation process and correlated with the presence of increasing amounts of inactive Raf-1 that stably associated with MCF-7 cell membranes. ET-18-OCH3 sensitivity could be restored by growing the adapted cells in serum-containing medium, which resulted in the loss of membrane-associated Raf-1. In human normal mammary epithelial cells, which are insensitive to ET-18-OCH3, Raf-1 was also associated with membranes in quiescent cells. In both cell types, incubation with ET-18-OCH3 had no effect on the membrane-Raf-1 levels, suggesting that ET-18-OCH3-induced reduction of Raf-1 levels in growth factor-stimulated MCF-7 cells is due to inhibition of Raf translocation. The activation and termination of the MAP kinase pathway in response to growth factors in the adapted MCF-7 cells and HNME cells occurred without changes to membrane Raf-1 levels. Because membrane translocation is not required to activate Raf in these cells, inhibition of Raf translocation by ET-18-OCH3 subsequent to cell stimulation has no effect on the activation of the membrane-bound Raf and, consequently, the activation of the MAP kinase pathway. The ability of the cells to activate the MAP kinase pathway in the presence of the drugs enables them to resist the growth-inhibitory effects of the drug, leading to the observed ET-18-OCH3 insensitivity of the cells.

Convergent C-glycolipid synthesis via the Ramberg-Bäcklund reaction: active antiproliferative glycolipids.

[formula: see text] A novel methodology has been developed, employing the Ramberg-Bäcklund rearrangement and ionic hydrogenation to synthesize C-glycosides with high stereoselectivity at the anomeric center. The C-glycolipid 14b exhibits antiproliferative properties similar to those of O-glycoside analogue 14a.

Glycosylated antitumor ether lipids are more effective against oncogene-transformed fibroblasts than alkyllysophospholipids.

We have investigated the antiproliferative effects of different types of antitumor ether lipids (AELs) against non-transformed and transformed fibroblasts. The compounds examined were choline phosphate-containing alkyllysophospholipids (1-O-octadecyl-2-O-methyl glycerophosphocholine (ET18-OCH3), 2'-(trimethylammonio)ethyl 3-(hexadecyloxy)-2-(methoxymethyl)propylphosphate (oxo-BM 41.440), 2'-(triethylammonio)ethyl 4-(hexadecyloxy)-3-methoxybutane phosphonate (ET16-OCH3-phosphonocholine)), and glycosylated ether-linked diglycerides (1-O-hexadecyl-2-O-methyl-3-S-(beta-D-1'-thioglucopyranosyl-sn-gly cerol) [ET16-OCH3-beta-thio-Glc] and 1-O-hexadecyl-2-O-methyl-3-O-(2'amino-2'-deoxy-beta-D-glucopyranosyl)-sn -glycerol (ET16-OCH3-Gln)). The choline phosphate-containing alkyllysophospholipids (ALPs) had little or moderate effect on the proliferation and none on the viability of NIH 3T3 clone 7, and sublines transformed by raf (NIH/9IV #5), fes (Fes 1), src (Src 1) and mos (Mos 1) oncogenes. The glycosylated ether-linked diglycerides were more effective than the choline phosphate-containing ALPs. Of the two ether-linked diglycerides, ET16-OCH3-beta-thio-Glc did not affect the viability of the cells at any of the concentrations examined while ET16-OCH3-Gln was cytotoxic to all the transformed cell lines at concentrations equal to or greater than 9 microM. The IC50 for ET16-OCH3-Gln was 6.4 microM for Mos 1, 6.5 microM for NIH/9IV #5, 7.5 microM for Src 1, 8.2 microM for Fes 1 and 8.4 microM for NIH 3T3 clone 7. These results suggest that the ether-linked diglycerides may be more effective against fibrosarcomas than the cholinephosphate containing ALPs. Also, with the exception of ET16-OCH3-Gln there was no significant difference in the effect of the compounds on the transformed and untransformed cell lines, suggesting that the selectivity displayed by AELs may depend on both the type of compound and transformation in the cell.

Enantioselective synthesis and antiproliferative properties of an ilmofosine analog, 2'-(trimethylammonio)ethyl 3-(hexadecyloxy)-2-(methoxymethyl)propyl phosphate, on epithelial cancer cell growth.

An asymmetric synthesis of the 1-alkyloxy analog of the thioether phosphocholine ilmofosine (BM 41.440, rac-1), 2'-(trimethylammonio)ethyl 3-(hexadecyloxy)-2-(methoxymethyl)propyl phosphate (2), is described. Stereoselectivity was obtained in an asymmetric hydroboration-oxidation sequence carried out on a 2,2-disubstituted 1-alkene, 3-(hexadecyloxy)-2-(methoxymethyl)-1-propene (9), which was prepared by starting with either ethyl acrylate or ethyl alpha-(hydroxymethyl)acrylate (3). (R)- and (S)-2 and rac-1 were highly effective in inhibiting the proliferation of the breast adenocarcinoma cell line MCF-7 (IC50, 2 microM), moderately effective against A549 (non-small-cell lung adenocarcinoma) (IC50, 8-10 icroM), and less effective against A427 (large cell lung carcinoma) (IC50, approximately 20 microM). The in vitro cytotoxicity against the three epithelial cancer cell lines was independent of the configuration about C-2 of the glycerol backbone of 2 and was also not altered by substitution of oxygen for sulfur in the sn-1 ether linkage of ilmofosine.

Synthesis of ether-linked analogues of lysophosphatidate and their effect on the proliferation of human epithelial cancer cells in vitro.

To investigate whether lysophosphatidate analogues of alkyllysophospholipids were antiproliferative we synthesized three new ether-linked analogues of lysophosphatidic acid and investigated their antiproliferative activity on epithelial cancer cell lines derived from different tissues. The antiproliferative effects of the compounds on MCF-7 and T47D (breast), A549 and A427 (lung), A498 (kidney), SK-N-SH and SK-N-MC (neuroblastoma), and DU145 (prostate) cells were compared with the ability of 1-O-octadecyl-2-O-methyl-glycero-3-phosphocholine, the archetypic alkyllysophospholipid, to inhibit the proliferation of all the cell lines. 1-O-Hexadecyl-2-O-methyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphate and 4-thiohexadecyl-3(S)-O-methoxybutane-4-phosphate were unable to inhibit the proliferation of any of the cells to any degree, while slightly enhancing the proliferation of DU145 cells. In contrast 4-O-hexadecyl-3(S)-O-methoxybutanephosphonate was a potent antiproliferative agent that was on the whole more active than 1-O-octadecyl-2-O-methyl-glycero-3-phosphocholine. Since 1-Oleoyl-2-lyso-phosphatidate (LPA) was non-mitogenic in all the cell lines except the neuroblastoma line SK-N-SH, it is unlikely that the inhibition of cell proliferation by 4-O-hexadecyl-3(S)-O-methoxybutanephosphonate was a consequence of perturbation of cellular response to the mitogenic effects of LPA.

Synthesis and evaluation of the antiproliferative effects of 1-O-hexadecyl-2-O-methyl-3-O-(2'-acetamido-2'-deoxy-beta-D- glucopyranosyl)-sn-glycerol and 1-O-hexadecyl-2-O-methyl-3-0- (2'-amino-2'-deoxy-beta-D-glucopyranosyl)-sn-glycerol on epithelial cancer cell growth.

Two ether glucosyl diglyceride analogs were synthesized, and their antiproliferative activity against four epithelial cancer cell lines was evaluated. 1-O-Hexadecyl-2-O-methyl-3-O-(2'-acetamido-2'-deoxy-beta-D- glucopyranosyl)-sn-glycerol (4) was synthesized by reaction of 2-acetamido-2-deoxy-3,4,6-tri-O-acetyl-alpha-D-glucopyranosyl chloride with 1-O-hexadecyl-2-O-methyl-sn-glycerol followed by deacetylation by methanolic hydrolysis. The N-acetyl group of 4 was removed by hydrolysis with ethanolic potassium hydroxide to form 1-O-hexadecyl-2-O-methyl-3-O-(2'-amino-2'-deoxy-beta-D-glucopyranosyl)- sn-glycerol (5). Compounds 4 and 5 inhibited the proliferation of MCF-7, A549, A427, and T84 cancer cell lines. The IC(50) values for 5 ranged from 6.5 to 12.2 microM, whereas 4 was more effective against A549 cells (IC(50) 9 microM) than against MCF-7 (IC(50) 17 microM) and A427 (IC(50) 25 microM) cells and was inactive against T84 cells. Under identical incubation conditions, compounds 4 and 5 were potent inhibitors of the proliferation of OVCAR-3 cells with IC(50) values of 12 and 4 microM, respectively, whereas ET-18-OCH(3), hexadecylphosphocholine, and erucylphosphocholine had IC(50) values of 24, >30, and >30 microM, respectively. The cell-inhibitory profile of these ether-linked glucosyl diglycerides strengthens the hypothesis that such glycolipids represent a distinct group of antitumor ether lipids, having antineoplastic activities that differ from the well-known alkylphosphocholines and alkyllysophospholipids.

1-o-octadecyl-2-o-methyl-glycerophosphoscholine inhibits the adhesion of ras-transformed fibroblasts to human endothelial-cells.

The adhesion of tumor cells to the endothelium is a key step in haematogenic metastasis. Because alkyllysophospholipids decrease tumor metastasis, we investigated the effect of 1-O-octadecyl-2-O-methyl-glycerophosphocholine (ET18-OCH3) on the adhesion of two highly metastatic ras-transformed 10T1/2 cell lines, CIRAS-2 and CIRAS-3, to confluent endothelial cells. The order of adhesion to the endothelial cells was CIRAS-2 > 10T1/2 > CIRAS-3. RGD peptides were unable to inhibit the binding of the cells suggesting that adhesion was not mediated by fibronectin or vitronectin. Treatment of the cell lines with 20 mu M ET18-OCH3 for 24 h decreased the adhesion of CIRAS-2, CIRAS-3 and 10T1/2 to the endothelial cells by 50, 43 and 36% respectively. Thus interference in the adhesion of tumor cells to the endothelium could contribute to decreased metastasis.

Segregation analysis of rare autosomal folate sensitive fragile sites.

We have studied 12 families with rare autosomal folate sensitive fragile sites (RAFSFS). Of these, 9 were informative for segregation analysis of fragile sites in order to assess differences in parental transmission. We identified 20 families with RAFSFS from the literature from 1985 to 1989; thirteen of these were informative for segregation analysis. Segregation analysis confirmed that paternal fragile site transmission rates deviated significantly from the expected 50% for a Mendelian co-dominant trait. Sex ratio comparisons showed a significant excess of transmitting females and a significant excess of males among fragile site non-carriers from the literature families. Comparison of the fragile site carriers with non-carriers in the combined data showed a non-significant excess of non-carriers. We confirmed a deficiency of offspring expressing fragile sites when transmission was through fathers, suggesting gametic selection or the phenomenon of parental genomic imprinting.