Ontogenetic changes in jaw leverage and skull shape in tufted and untufted capuchins.

The ontogeny of feeding is characterized by shifting functional demands concurrent with changes in craniofacial anatomy; relationships between these factors will look different in primates with disparate feeding behaviors during development. This study examines the ontogeny of skull morphology and jaw leverage in tufted (Sapajus) and untufted (Cebus) capuchin monkeys. Unlike Cebus, Sapajus have a mechanically challenging diet and behavioral observations of juvenile Sapajus suggest these foods are exploited early in development. Landmarks were placed on three-dimensional surface models of an ontogenetic series of Sapajus and Cebus skulls (n = 53) and used to generate shape data and jaw-leverage estimates across the tooth row for three jaw-closing muscles (temporalis, masseter, medial pterygoid) as well as a weighted combined estimate. Using geometric morphometric methods, we found that skull shape diverges early and shape is significantly different between Sapajus and Cebus throughout ontogeny. Additionally, jaw leverage varies with age and position on the tooth row and is greater in Sapajus compared to Cebus when calculated at the permanent dentition. We used two-block partial least squares analyses to identify covariance between skull shape and each of our jaw muscle leverage estimates. Sapajus, but not Cebus, has significant covariance between all leverage estimates at the anterior dentition. Our findings show that Sapajus and Cebus exhibit distinct craniofacial morphologies early in ontogeny and strong covariance between leverage estimates and craniofacial shape in Sapajus. These results are consistent with prior behavioral and comparative work suggesting these differences are a function of selection for exploiting mechanically challenging foods in Sapajus, and further emphasize that these differences appear quite early in ontogeny. This research builds on prior work that has highlighted the importance of understanding ontogeny for interpreting adult morphology.

Developing a Phosphospecific IHC Assay as a Predictive Biomarker for Topoisomerase I Inhibitors.

Phosphorylation is the most extensively studied posttranslational modification of proteins. There are approximately 500 kinases known in the human genome. The kinase-activated pathways regulate almost every aspect of cell function and a deregulated kinase cascade leads to impaired cellular function. Impaired regulation of several kinase cascades, including the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) pathway, leading to tumor pathogenesis, is well documented. Thus, a phosphospecific test with prognostic or predictive value was expected in oncology. However, no phosphospecific IHC test is used in oncology clinics. Human topoisomerase I (topoI) inhibitors, camptothecin and its analogues (CPT), are used extensively to treat various solid tumors. Depending on tumor type, the response rate is only 13-32%. We have demonstrated that the deregulated kinase cascade is at the core of CPT resistance. DNA-PKcs, a kinase central to the DNA-double-strand break (DSB) response pathway, phosphorylates topoI at serine 10 (topoI-pS10), and cells with higher basal levels of topoI-pS10 degrade topoI rapidly and are resistant to this class of drug. The higher basal level of topoI phosphorylation is due to continual activation of DNA-PKcs, and one potential mechanism of this pathway activation is failure of upstream effector phosphatases such as phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN). Based on this understanding, we have developed an IHC-based test (P-topoIDx) that can stratify the responder and non-responder patient population.

Camptothecin resistance is determined by the regulation of topoisomerase I degradation mediated by ubiquitin proteasome pathway.

Proteasomal degradation of topoisomerase I (topoI) is one of the most remarkable cellular phenomena observed in response to camptothecin (CPT). Importantly, the rate of topoI degradation is linked to CPT resistance. Formation of the topoI-DNA-CPT cleavable complex inhibits DNA re-ligation resulting in DNA-double strand break (DSB). The degradation of topoI marks the first step in the ubiquitin proteasome pathway (UPP) dependent DNA damage response (DDR). Here, we show that the Ku70/Ku80 heterodimer binds with topoI, and that the DNA-dependent protein kinase (DNA-PKcs) phosphorylates topoI on serine 10 (topoI-pS10), which is subsequently ubiquitinated by BRCA1. A higher basal level of topoI-pS10 ensures rapid topoI degradation leading to CPT resistance. Importantly, PTEN regulates DNA-PKcs kinase activity in this pathway and PTEN deletion ensures DNA-PKcs dependent higher topoI-pS10, rapid topoI degradation and CPT resistance.

GRP78(BiP) facilitates the cytosolic delivery of anthrax lethal factor (LF) in vivo and functions as an unfoldase in vitro.

Anthrax toxin is an A/B bacterial protein toxin which is composed of the enzymatically active Lethal Factor (LF) and/or Oedema Factor (EF) bound to Protective Antigen 63 (PA63) which functions as both the receptor binding and transmembrane domains. Once the toxin binds to its cell surface receptors it is internalized into the cell and traffics through Rab5- and Rab7-associated endosomal vesicles. Following acidification of the vesicle lumen, PA63 undergoes a dynamic change forming a beta-barrel that inserts into and forms a pore through the endosomal membrane. It is widely recognized that LF, and the related fusion protein LFnDTA, must be completely denatured in order to transit through the PA63 formed pore and enter the eukaryotic cell cytosol. We demonstrate by protease protection assays that the molecular chaperone GRP78 mediates the unfolding of LFnDTA and LF at neutral pH and thereby converts these proteins from a trypsin resistant to sensitive conformation. We have used immunoelectron microscopy and gold-labelled antibodies to demonstrate that both GRP78 and GRP94 chaperones are present in the lumen of endosomal vesicles. Finally, we have used siRNA to demonstrate that knock-down of GRP78 results in the emergence of resistance to anthrax lethal toxin and oedema toxin action.

Essential lysine residues within transmembrane helix 1 of diphtheria toxin facilitate COPI binding and catalytic domain entry.

The translocation of the diphtheria toxin catalytic domain from the lumen of early endosomes into the cytosol of eukaryotic cells is an essential step in the intoxication process. We have previously shown that the in vitro translocation of the catalytic domain from the lumen of toxin pre-loaded endosomal vesicles to the external medium requires the addition of cytosolic proteins including coatomer protein complex I (COPI) to the reaction mixture. Further, we have shown that transmembrane helix 1 plays an essential, but as yet undefined role in the entry process. We have used both site-directed mutagenesis and a COPI complex precipitation assay to demonstrate that interaction(s) between at least three lysine residues in transmembrane helix 1 are essential for both COPI complex binding and the delivery of the catalytic domain into the target cell cytosol. Finally, a COPI binding domain swap was used to demonstrate that substitution of the lysine-rich transmembrane helix 1 with the COPI binding portion of the p23 adaptor cytoplasmic tail results in a mutant that displays full wild-type activity. Thus, irrespective of sequence, the ability of transmembrane helix 1 to bind to COPI complex appears to be the essential feature for catalytic domain delivery to the cytosol.

Frequent HIN-1 promoter methylation and lack of expression in multiple human tumor types.

HIN-1 (high in normal-1) is a candidate tumor suppressor identified as a gene silenced by methylation in the majority of breast carcinomas. HIN-1 is highly expressed in the mammary gland, trachea, lung, prostate, pancreas, and salivary gland, and in the lung, its expression is primarily restricted to bronchial epithelial cells. In this report, we show that, correlating with the secretory nature of HIN-1, high levels of HIN-1 protein are detected in bronchial lavage, saliva, plasma, and serum. To determine if, similar to breast carcinomas, HIN-1 is also silenced in tumors originating from other organs with high HIN-1 expression, we analyzed its expression and promoter methylation status in lung, prostate, and pancreatic carcinomas. Nearly all prostate and a significant fraction of lung and pancreatic carcinomas showed HIN-1 hypermethylation, and the majority of lung and prostate tumors lacked HIN-1 expression. In lung carcinomas, the degree of HIN-1 methylation differed among tumor subtypes (P = 0.02), with the highest level of HIN-1 methylation observed in squamous cell carcinomas and the lowest in small cell lung cancer. In lung adenocarcinomas, the expression of HIN-1 correlated with cellular differentiation status. Hypermethylation of the HIN-1 promoter was also frequently observed in normal tissue adjacent to tumors but not in normal tissue from noncancer patients, implying that HIN-1 promoter methylation may be a marker of premalignant changes. Thus, silencing of HIN-1 expression and methylation of its promoter occurs in multiple human cancer types, suggesting that elimination of HIN-1 function may contribute to several forms of epithelial tumorigenesis.

Selenomethionine inhibits growth and suppresses cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) protein expression in human colon cancer cell lines.

Currently, selenium (in the form of high selenium containing yeast or selenomethionine) is being evaluated for anticancer effects against both human colon polyp recurrence and human prostate cancer, respectively. Chemical speciation analysis of the high selenium containing yeast indicates that selenomethionine (SeMet) is a major constituent of selenized yeast. We tested the hypothesis that SeMet might affect colon cancer cell growth by mechanisms involving cyclooxygenases (COX). The growth of all four-colon cancer cell lines tested was inhibited by selenomethionine. Furthermore, selenomethionine decreased COX-2 protein and PGE2 levels in HCA-7 cells. Selenomethionine suppressed COX-2 RNA levels in HCA-7 cells which could account for decreased COX-2 protein levels. Finally, the addition of PGE2 protected cells from the antiproliferative effects of selenomethionine in a concentration dependent manner. Selenomethionine might regulate COX-2 at the transcriptional level. These data suggests that Se-Met-induced cell growth inhibition may be, in part, mediated by COX-2 dependent mechanisms. The results of this study support the use of selenium agents in colon cancer chemoprevention trials.