Novel Insights into Redox-Based Mechanisms for Auranofin-Induced Rapid Cancer Cell Death.

Auranofin (Ridaura®, AUF) is a gold complex originally approved as an antirheumatic agent that has emerged as a potential candidate for multiple repurposed therapies. The best-studied anticancer mechanism of AUF is the inhibition of thioredoxin reductase (TrxR). However, a number of reports indicate a more complex and multifaceted mode of action for AUF that could be cancer cell type- and dose-dependent. In this study, we observed that AUF displayed variable cytotoxicity in five triple-negative breast cancer cell lines. Using representative MDA-MB-231 cells treated with moderate and cytotoxic doses of AUF, we evidenced that an AUF-mediated TrxR inhibition alone may not be sufficient to induce cell death. Cytotoxic doses of AUF elicited rapid and drastic intracellular oxidative stress affecting the mitochondria, cytoplasm and nucleus. A "redoxome" proteomics investigation revealed that a short treatment with a cytotoxic dose AUF altered the redox state of a number of cysteines-containing proteins, pointing out that the cell proliferation/cell division/cell cycle and cell-cell adhesion/cytoskeleton structure were the mostly affected pathways. Experimentally, AUF treatment triggered a dose-dependent S-phase arrest and a rapid disintegration of the actin cytoskeleton structure. Our study shows a new spectrum of AUF-induced early effects and should provide novel insights into the complex redox-based mechanisms of this promising anticancer molecule.

Fe-S coordination defects in the replicative DNA polymerase delta cause deleterious DNA replication in vivo and subsequent DNA damage in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

B-type eukaryotic polymerases contain a [4Fe-4S] cluster in their C-terminus domain, whose role is not fully understood yet. Among them, DNA polymerase delta (Polδ) plays an essential role in chromosomal DNA replication, mostly during lagging strand synthesis. Previous in vitro work suggested that the Fe-S cluster in Polδ is required for efficient binding of the Pol31 subunit, ensuring stability of the Polδ complex. Here, we analyzed the in vivo consequences resulting from an impaired coordination of the Fe-S cluster in Polδ. We show that a single substitution of the very last cysteine coordinating the cluster by a serine is responsible for the generation of massive DNA damage during S phase, leading to checkpoint activation, requirement of homologous recombination for repair, and ultimately to cell death when the repair capacities of the cells are overwhelmed. These data indicate that impaired Fe-S cluster coordination in Polδ is responsible for aberrant replication. More generally, Fe-S in Polδ may be compromised by various stress including anti-cancer drugs. Possible in vivo Polδ Fe-S cluster oxidation and collapse may thus occur, and we speculate this could contribute to induced genomic instability and cell death, comparable to that observed in pol3-13 cells.

Redox modifications of cysteine-containing proteins, cell cycle arrest and translation inhibition: Involvement in vitamin C-induced breast cancer cell death.

Vitamin C (VitC) possesses pro-oxidant properties at high pharmacologic concentrations which favor repurposing VitC as an anti-cancer therapeutic agent. However, redox-based anticancer properties of VitC are yet partially understood. We examined the difference between the reduced and oxidized forms of VitC, ascorbic acid (AA) and dehydroascorbic acid (DHA), in terms of cytotoxicity and redox mechanisms toward breast cancer cells. Our data showed that AA displayed higher cytotoxicity towards triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) cell lines in vitro than DHA. AA exhibited a similar cytotoxicity on non-TNBC cells, while only a minor detrimental effect on noncancerous cells. Using MDA-MB-231, a representative TNBC cell line, we observed that AA- and DHA-induced cytotoxicity were linked to cellular redox-state alterations. Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) accumulation in the extracellular medium and in different intracellular compartments, and to a lesser degree, intracellular glutathione oxidation, played a key role in AA-induced cytotoxicity. In contrast, DHA affected glutathione oxidation and had less cytotoxicity. A "redoxome" approach revealed that AA treatment altered the redox state of key antioxidants and a number of cysteine-containing proteins including many nucleic acid binding proteins and proteins involved in RNA and DNA metabolisms and in energetic processes. We showed that cell cycle arrest and translation inhibition were associated with AA-induced cytotoxicity. Finally, bioinformatics analysis and biological experiments identified that peroxiredoxin 1 (PRDX1) expression levels correlated with AA differential cytotoxicity in breast cancer cells, suggesting a potential predictive value of PRDX1. This study provides insight into the redox-based mechanisms of VitC anticancer activity, indicating that pharmacologic doses of VitC and VitC-based rational drug combinations could be novel therapeutic opportunities for triple-negative breast cancer.

Causative Links between Protein Aggregation and Oxidative Stress: A Review.

Compelling evidence supports a tight link between oxidative stress and protein aggregation processes, which are noticeably involved in the development of proteinopathies, such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and prion disease. The literature is tremendously rich in studies that establish a functional link between both processes, revealing that oxidative stress can be either causative, or consecutive, to protein aggregation. Because oxidative stress monitoring is highly challenging and may often lead to artefactual results, cutting-edge technical tools have been developed recently in the redox field, improving the ability to measure oxidative perturbations in biological systems. This review aims at providing an update of the previously known functional links between oxidative stress and protein aggregation, thereby revisiting the long-established relationship between both processes.

Auranofin/Vitamin C: A Novel Drug Combination Targeting Triple-Negative Breast Cancer.

BACKGROUND: Cancer cells from different origins exhibit various basal redox statuses and thus respond differently to intrinsic or extrinsic oxidative stress. These intricate characteristics condition the success of redox-based anticancer therapies that capitalize on the ability of reactive oxygen species to achieve selective and efficient cancer cell killing. METHODS: Redox biology methods, stable isotope labeling by amino acids in cell culture (SILAC)-based proteomics, and bioinformatics pattern comparisons were used to decipher the underlying mechanisms for differential response of lung and breast cancer cell models to redox-modulating molecule auranofin (AUF) and to combinations of AUF and vitamin C (VC). The in vivo effect of AUF, VC, and two AUF/VC combinations on mice bearing MDA-MB-231 xenografts (n = 5 mice per group) was also evaluated. All statistical tests were two-sided. RESULTS: AUF targeted simultaneously the thioredoxin and glutathione antioxidant systems. AUF/VC combinations exerted a synergistic and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2)-mediated cytotoxicity toward MDA-MB-231 cells and other breast cancer cell lines. The anticancer potential of AUF/VC combinations was validated in vivo on MDA-MB-231 xenografts in mice without notable side effects. On day 14 of treatments, mean (SD) tumor volumes for the vehicle-treated control group and the two AUF/VC combination-treated groups (A/V1 and A/V2) were 197.67 (24.28) mm3, 15.66 (10.90) mm3, and 10.23 (7.30)mm3, respectively; adjusted P values of the differences between mean tumor volumes of vehicle vs A/V1 groups and vehicle vs A/V2 groups were both less than .001. SILAC proteomics, bioinformatics analysis, and functional experiments linked prostaglandin reductase 1 (PTGR1) expression levels with breast cancer cell sensitivity to AUF/VC combinations. CONCLUSION: The combination of AUF and VC, two commonly available drugs, could be efficient against triple-negative breast cancer and potentially other cancers with similar redox properties and PTGR1 expression levels. The redox-based anticancer activity of this combination and the discriminatory potential of PTGR1 expression are worth further assessment in preclinical and clinical studies.

Auranofin/Vitamin C: A Novel Drug Combination Targeting Triple-Negative Breast Cancer.

BACKGROUND: Cancer cells from different origins exhibit various basal redox statuses and thus respond differently to intrinsic or extrinsic oxidative stress. These intricate characteristics condition the success of redox-based anticancer therapies that capitalize on the ability of reactive oxygen species to achieve selective and efficient cancer cell killing. METHODS: Redox biology methods, stable isotope labeling by amino acids in cell culture (SILAC)-based proteomics, and bioinformatics pattern comparisons were used to decipher the underlying mechanisms for differential response of lung and breast cancer cell models to redox-modulating molecule auranofin (AUF) and to combinations of AUF and vitamin C (VC). The in vivo effect of AUF, VC, and two AUF/VC combinations on mice bearing MDA-MB-231 xenografts (n = 5 mice per group) was also evaluated. All statistical tests were two-sided. RESULTS: AUF targeted simultaneously the thioredoxin and glutathione antioxidant systems. AUF/VC combinations exerted a synergistic and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2)-mediated cytotoxicity toward MDA-MB-231 cells and other breast cancer cell lines. The anticancer potential of AUF/VC combinations was validated in vivo on MDA-MB-231 xenografts in mice without notable side effects. On day 14 of treatments, mean (SD) tumor volumes for the vehicle-treated control group and the two AUF/VC combination-treated groups (A/V1 and A/V2) were 197.67 (24.28) mm3, 15.66 (10.90) mm3, and 10.23 (7.30)mm3, respectively; adjusted P values of the differences between mean tumor volumes of vehicle vs A/V1 groups and vehicle vs A/V2 groups were both less than .001. SILAC proteomics, bioinformatics analysis, and functional experiments linked prostaglandin reductase 1 (PTGR1) expression levels with breast cancer cell sensitivity to AUF/VC combinations. CONCLUSION: The combination of AUF and VC, two commonly available drugs, could be efficient against triple-negative breast cancer and potentially other cancers with similar redox properties and PTGR1 expression levels. The redox-based anticancer activity of this combination and the discriminatory potential of PTGR1 expression are worth further assessment in preclinical and clinical studies.

Fe-S Clusters Emerging as Targets of Therapeutic Drugs.

Fe-S centers exhibit strong electronic plasticity, which is of importance for insuring fine redox tuning of protein biological properties. In accordance, Fe-S clusters are also highly sensitive to oxidation and can be very easily altered in vivo by different drugs, either directly or indirectly due to catabolic by-products, such as nitric oxide species (NOS) or reactive oxygen species (ROS). In case of metal ions, Fe-S cluster alteration might be the result of metal liganding to the coordinating sulfur atoms, as suggested for copper. Several drugs presented through this review are either capable of direct interaction with Fe-S clusters or of secondary Fe-S clusters alteration following ROS or NOS production. Reactions leading to Fe-S cluster disruption are also reported. Due to the recent interest and progress in Fe-S biology, it is very likely that an increasing number of drugs already used in clinics will emerge as molecules interfering with Fe-S centers in the near future. Targeting Fe-S centers could also become a promising strategy for drug development.

DNA replication inhibitor hydroxyurea alters Fe-S centers by producing reactive oxygen species in vivo.

Redox homeostasis is tightly controlled in cells as it is critical for most cellular functions. Iron-Sulfur centers (Fe-S) are metallic cofactors with electronic properties that are associated with proteins and allow fine redox tuning. Following the observation that altered Fe-S biosynthesis is correlated with a high sensitivity to hydroxyurea (HU), a potent DNA replication blocking agent, we identified that oxidative stress response pathway under the control of the main regulator Yap1 attenuates HU deleterious effects, as it significantly increases resistance to HU, Fe-S biosynthesis and DNA replication kinetics in the presence of HU. Yap1 effect is mediated at least in part through up-regulation of two highly conserved genes controlling cytosolic Fe-S biosynthesis and oxidative stress, Dre2 and Tah18. We next observed that HU produces deleterious effects on cytosolic Fe-S clusters in proteins in vivo but not in vitro, suggesting that HU's impact on Fe-S in vivo is mediated by cellular metabolism. Finally, we evidenced that HU exposure was accompanied by production of reactive oxygen species intracellularly. Altogether, this study provides mechanistic insight on the initial observation that mutants with altered Fe-S biosynthesis are highly sensitive to HU and uncovers a novel mechanism of action of this widely used DNA replication inhibitor.

Interaction between the reductase Tah18 and highly conserved Fe-S containing Dre2 C-terminus is essential for yeast viability.

Tah18-Dre2 is a recently identified yeast protein complex, which is highly conserved in human and has been implicated in the regulation of oxidative stress induced cell death and in cytosolic Fe-S proteins synthesis. Tah18 is a diflavin oxido-reductase with binding sites for flavin mononucleotide, flavin adenine dinucleotide and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate, which is able to transfer electrons to Dre2 Fe-S clusters. In this work we characterized in details the interaction between Tah18 and Dre2, and analysed how it conditions yeast viability. We show that Dre2 C-terminus interacts in vivo and in vitro with the flavin mononucleotide- and flavin adenine dinucleotide-binding sites of Tah18. Neither the absence of the electron donor nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate-binding domain in purified Tah18 nor the absence of Fe-S in aerobically purified Dre2 prevents the binding in vitro. In vivo, when this interaction is affected in a dre2 mutant, yeast viability is reduced. Conversely, enhancing artificially the interaction between mutated Dre2 and Tah18 restores cellular viability despite still reduced cytosolic Fe-S cluster biosynthesis. We conclude that Tah18-Dre2 interaction in vivo is essential for yeast viability. Our study may provide new insight into the survival/death switch involving this complex in yeast and in human cells.

Oscheius tipulae, a widespread hermaphroditic soil nematode, displays a higher genetic diversity and geographical structure than Caenorhabditis elegans.

The nematode Oscheius tipulae belongs to the same family (Rhabditidae) as the model species Caenorhabditis elegans. Both species reproduce through self-fertilizing hermaphrodites and facultative males. Recent studies have shown that the self-fertile C. elegans and C. briggsae displayed a 20-fold lower genetic diversity than the male-female species C. remanei. Several explanations have been put forward to account for this difference, including their mode of reproduction and dynamic population structure. Here, we present the results of extensive worldwide sampling of O. tipulae, which we previously used as a laboratory organism for developmental genetics. We found that O. tipulae is much more widespread and common in soil throughout the world than Caenorhabditis species. We analysed 63 O. tipulae isolates from several continents using amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP). We found that O. tipulae harbours a 5-fold higher genetic diversity than C. elegans and C. briggsae. As in C. elegans, a high proportion of this diversity was found locally. Yet, we detected significant geographical differentiation, both at the worldwide scale with a latitudinal structure and between three localities in France. In summary, O. tipulae exhibited significantly higher levels of genetic diversity and large-scale geographical structure than C. elegans, despite their shared mode of reproduction. This species difference in genetic diversity may be explained by a number of other differences, such as population size, distribution, migration and dynamics. Due to its widespread occurrence and relatively high genetic diversity, O. tipulae may be a promising study species for evolutionary studies.