Hydrogen atom transfer in the radical cations of tryptophan-containing peptides AW and WA studied by mass spectrometry, infrared multiple-photon dissociation spectroscopy, and theoretical calculations.

Two types of radical cations of tryptophan-the π-radical cation and the protonated tryptophan-N radical-have been studied in dipeptides AW and WA. The π-radical cation produced by removal of an electron during collision-induced dissociation of a ternary Cu(II) complex was only observed for the AW peptide. In the case of WA, only the ion corresponding to the loss of ammonia, [WA-NH3] •+, was observed from the copper complex. Both protonated tryptophan-N radicals were produced by N-nitrosylation of the neutral peptides followed by transfer to the gas phase via electrospray ionization and subsequent collision-induced dissociation. The regiospecifically formed N• species were characterized by infrared multiple-photon dissociation spectroscopy which revealed that the WA tryptophan-N• radical remains the nitrogen radical, while the AW nitrogen radical rearranges into the π-radical cation. These findings are supported by the density functional theory calculations that suggest a relatively high barrier for the radical rearrangement (N• to π) in WA (156.3 kJ mol-1) and a very low barrier in AW (6.1 kJ mol-1). The facile hydrogen atom migration in the AW system is also supported by the collision-induced dissociation of the tryptophan-N radical species that produces fragments characteristic of the tryptophan π-radical cation. Gas-phase ion-molecule reactions with n-propyl thiol have also been used to differentiate between the π-radical cations (react by hydrogen abstraction) and the tryptophan-N• species (unreactive) of AW.

Lactate dehydrogenase A is a potential prognostic marker in clear cell renal cell carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Over 90% of cancer-related deaths in clear cell renal cell carcinoma (RCC) are caused by tumor relapse and metastasis. Thus, there is an urgent need for new molecular markers that can potentiate the efficacy of the current clinical-based models of prognosis assessment. The objective of this study is to evaluate the potential significance of lactate dehydrogenase A (LDHA), assessed by immunohistochemical staining, as a prognostic marker in clear cell renal cell carcinoma in relation to clinicopathological features and clinical outcome. METHODS: We assessed the expression of LDHA at the protein level, by immunohistochemistry, and correlated its expression with multiple clinicopathological features including tumor size, clinical stage, histological grade, disease-free and overall survival in 385 patients with primary clear cell renal cell carcinoma. We also correlated the LDHA expression with overall survival, at mRNA level, in an independent data set of 170 clear cell renal cell carcinoma cases from The Cancer Genome Atlas databases. Cox proportional hazards models adjusted for the potential clinicopathological factors were used to test for associations between the LDHA expression and both disease-free survival and overall survival. RESULTS: There is statistically significant positive correlation between LDHA level of expression and tumor size, clinical stage and histological grade. Moreover, LDHA expression shows significantly inverse correlation with both disease-free survival and overall survival in patients with clear cell renal cell carcinoma. Our results are validated by examining LDHA expression, at the mRNA level, in the independent data set of clear cell renal cell carcinoma cases from The Cancer Genome Atlas databases which also shows that higher lactate dehydrogenase A expression is associated with significantly shorter overall survival. CONCLUSION: Our results indicate that LDHA up-regulation can be a predictor of poor prognosis in clear cell renal cell carcinoma. Thus, it represents a potential prognostic biomarker that can boost the accuracy of other prognostic models in patients with clear cell renal cell carcinoma.

Role of moesin in hyaluronan induced cell migration in glioblastoma multiforme.

BACKGROUND: A major barrier to effective treatment of glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is the invasion of glioma cells into the brain parenchyma rendering local therapies such as surgery and radiation therapy ineffective. GBM patients with such highly invasive and infiltrative tumors have poor prognosis with a median survival time of only about a year. However, the mechanisms leading to increased cell migration, invasion and diffused behavior of glioma cells are still poorly understood. METHODS: In the current study, we applied quantitative proteomics for the identification of differentially expressed proteins in GBMs as compared to non-malignant brain tissues. RESULTS: Our study led to the identification of 23 proteins showing overexpression in GBM; these include membrane proteins, moesin and CD44. The results were verified using Western blotting and immunohistochemistry in independent set of GBM and non-malignant brain tissues. Both GBM tissues and glioma cell lines (U87 / U373) demonstrated membranous expression of moesin and CD44, as revealed by immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescence, respectively. Notably, glioma cells transfected with moesin siRNA displayed reduced migration and invasion on treatment with hyaluronan (HA), an important component of the extracellular matrix in GBM. CD44, a transmembrane glycoprotein, acts as a major receptor for hyaluronan (HA). Using co-immunoprecipitation assays, we further demonstrated that moesin interacts with CD44 in glioma cells only after treatment with HA; this implicates a novel role of moesin in HA-CD44 signaling in gliomas. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that development of inhibitors which interfere with CD44-moesin interactions may open a new avenue in the future to mitigate cellular migration in gliomas.

14-3-3 zeta is a molecular target in guggulsterone induced apoptosis in head and neck cancer cells.

BACKGROUND: The five-year survival rates for head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) patients are less than 50%, and the prognosis has not improved, despite advancements in standard multi-modality therapies. Hence major emphasis is being laid on identification of novel molecular targets and development of multi-targeted therapies. 14-3-3 zeta, a multifunctional phospho-serine/phospho-threonine binding protein, is emerging as an effector of pro-survival signaling by binding to several proteins involved in apoptosis (Bad, FKHRL1 and ASK1) and may serve as an appropriate target for head and neck cancer therapy. Herein, we determined effect of guggulsterone (GS), a farnesoid X receptor antagonist, on 14-3-3 zeta associated molecular pathways for abrogation of apoptosis in head and neck cancer cells. METHODS: Head and neck cancer cells were treated with guggulsterone (GS). Effect of GS-treatment was evaluated using cell viability (MTT) assay and apoptosis was verified by annexin V, DNA fragmentation and M30 CytoDeath antibody assay. Mechanism of GS-induced apoptosis was determined by western blotting and co-IP assays using specific antibodies. RESULTS: Using in vitro models of head and neck cancer, we showed 14-3-3 zeta as a key player regulating apoptosis in GS treated SCC4 cells. Treatment with GS releases BAD from the inhibitory action of 14-3-3 zeta in proliferating HNSCC cells by activating protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A). These events initiate the intrinsic mitochondrial pathway of apoptosis, as revealed by increased levels of cytochrome c in cytoplasmic extracts of GS-treated SCC4 cells. In addition, GS treatment significantly reduced the expression of anti-apoptotic proteins, Bcl-2, xIAP, Mcl1, survivin, cyclin D1 and c-myc, thus committing cells to apoptosis. These events were followed by activation of caspase 9, caspase 8 and caspase 3 leading to cleavage of its downstream target, poly-ADP-ribose phosphate (PARP). CONCLUSION: GS targets 14-3-3 zeta associated cellular pathways for reducing proliferation and inducing apoptosis in head and neck cancer cells, warranting its investigation for use in treatment of head and neck cancer.