An extensive tumor array analysis supports tumor suppressive role for nucleophosmin in breast cancer.

Nucleophosmin (NPM) is a multifunctional protein involved in a complex network of interactions. The role of NPM in oncogenesis is controversial. The NPM gene (NPM1) is mutated or rearranged in a number of hematological disorders, but such changes have not been detected in solid cancers. However, experiments with cultured NPM-null cells and with mice carrying a single inactivated NPM allele indicate a tumor suppressor function for NPM. To resolve the role of NPM in solid cancers, we examined its expression and localization in histologically normal breast tissue and a large array of human breast carcinoma samples (n = 1160), and also evaluated its association with clinicopathological variables and patient survival. The intensity and localization (nucleolar, nuclear, cytoplasmic) of NPM varied across clinical samples. No mutations explaining the differences were found, but the present findings indicate that expression levels of NPM affected its localization. Our study also revealed a novel granular staining pattern for NPM, which was an independent prognostic factor of poor prognosis. In addition, reduced levels of NPM protein were associated with poor prognosis. Furthermore, luminal epithelial cells of histologically normal breast displayed high levels of NPM and overexpression of NPM in the invasive MDA-MB-231 cells abrogated their growth in soft agar. These results support a tumor suppressive role for NPM in breast cancer.

Vulnerability of invasive glioblastoma cells to lysosomal membrane destabilization.

The current clinical care of glioblastomas leaves behind invasive, radio- and chemo-resistant cells. We recently identified mammary-derived growth inhibitor (MDGI/FABP3) as a biomarker for invasive gliomas. Here, we demonstrate a novel function for MDGI in the maintenance of lysosomal membrane integrity, thus rendering invasive glioma cells unexpectedly vulnerable to lysosomal membrane destabilization. MDGI silencing impaired trafficking of polyunsaturated fatty acids into cells resulting in significant alterations in the lipid composition of lysosomal membranes, and subsequent death of the patient-derived glioma cells via lysosomal membrane permeabilization (LMP). In a preclinical model, treatment of glioma-bearing mice with an antihistaminergic LMP-inducing drug efficiently eradicated invasive glioma cells and secondary tumours within the brain. This unexpected fragility of the aggressive infiltrating cells to LMP provides new opportunities for clinical interventions, such as re-positioning of an established antihistamine drug, to eradicate the inoperable, invasive, and chemo-resistant glioma cells from sustaining disease progression and recurrence.

Identification and Characterization of Homing Peptides Using In Vivo Peptide Phage Display.

Each normal organ and pathological condition expresses a distinct set of molecules on their vasculature. These molecular signatures have been efficiently profiled using in vivo phage display. Several peptides homing to tumor blood vessels, lymphatic vessels, and/or tumor cells as well as to various normal organs have been isolated using this method. The in vivo screening of phage libraries has also revealed novel tissue-specific biomarkers of the normal and diseased vasculature. Tumor-homing peptides have been successfully used to target therapeutics and imaging agents to tumors. In vivo phage display has also been used in the identification of cell and/or tumor type-specific cell-penetrating peptides, which further facilitate the transmembrane delivery of various cargo molecules into cells. In this review we describe experimental setup for a combined ex vivo and in vivo screening procedure to select both conventional and cell-penetrating peptides homing to brain tumors.

Multifunctional porous silicon nanoparticles for cancer theranostics.

Nanomaterials provide a unique platform for the development of theranostic systems that combine diagnostic imaging modalities with a therapeutic payload in a single probe. In this work, dual-labeled iRGD-modified multifunctional porous silicon nanoparticles (PSi NPs) were prepared from dibenzocyclooctyl (DBCO) modified PSi NPs by strain-promoted azide-alkyne cycloaddition (SPAAC) click chemistry. Hydrophobic antiangiogenic drug, sorafenib, was loaded into the modified PSi NPs to enhance the drug dissolution rate and improve cancer therapy. Radiolabeling of the developed system with (111)In enabled the monitoring of the in vivo biodistribution of the nanocarrier by single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) in an ectopic PC3-MM2 mouse xenograft model. Fluorescent labeling with Alexa Fluor 488 was used to determine the long-term biodistribution of the nanocarrier by immunofluorescence at the tissue level ex vivo. Modification of the PSi NPs with an iRGD peptide enhanced the tumor uptake of the NPs when administered intravenously. After intratumoral delivery the NPs were retained in the tumor, resulting in efficient tumor growth suppression with particle-loaded sorafenib compared to the free drug. The presented multifunctional PSi NPs highlight the utility of constructing a theranostic nanosystems for simultaneous investigations of the in vivo behavior of the nanocarriers and their drug delivery efficiency, facilitating the selection of the most promising materials for further NP development.

Novel target for peptide-based imaging and treatment of brain tumors.

Malignant gliomas are associated with high mortality due to infiltrative growth, recurrence, and malignant progression. Even with the most efficient therapy combinations, median survival of the glioblastoma multiforme (grade 4) patients is less than 15 months. Therefore, new treatment approaches are urgently needed. We describe here identification of a novel homing peptide that recognizes tumor vessels and invasive tumor satellites in glioblastomas. We demonstrate successful brain tumor imaging using radiolabeled peptide in whole-body SPECT/CT imaging. Peptide-targeted delivery of chemotherapeutics prolonged the lifespan of mice bearing invasive brain tumors and significantly reduced the number of tumor satellites compared with the free drug. Moreover, we identified mammary-derived growth inhibitor (MDGI/H-FABP/FABP3) as the interacting partner for our peptide on brain tumor tissue. MDGI was expressed in human brain tumor specimens in a grade-dependent manner and its expression positively correlated with the histologic grade of the tumor, suggesting MDGI as a novel marker for malignant gliomas.

Tumour homing peptide-functionalized porous silicon nanovectors for cancer therapy.

Tumour targeting nanoparticles (NPs) have demonstrated great potential for enhancing anticancer drug delivery to tumour sites and for reducing the side effects of chemotherapy. However, many nanoparticulate delivery systems still lack efficient tumour accumulation. In this work, we present a porous silicon (PSi) nanovector functionalized with a tumour-homing peptide, which targets the mammary-derived growth inhibitor (MDGI) expressing cancer cells both in vitro and in vivo, thereby enhancing the accumulation of the NPs in the tumours. We demonstrated that the tumour homing peptide (herein designated as CooP) functionalized thermally hydrocarbonized PSi (THCPSi) NPs homed specifically to the subcutaneous MDGI-expressing xenograft tumours. The THCPSi-CooP NPs were stable in human plasma and their uptake by MDGI-expressing cancer cells measured by confocal microscopy and flow cytometry was significantly increased compared to the non-functionalized THCPSi NPs. After intravenous injections into nude mice bearing MDGI-expressing tumours, effective targeting was detected and THCPSi-CooP NPs showed ~9-fold higher accumulation in the tumour site compared to the control THCPSi NPs. Accumulation of both NPs in the vital organs was negligible.

Metastasis-associated cell surface oncoproteomics.

Oncoproteomics aims to the discovery of molecular markers, drug targets, and pathways by studying cancer specific protein expression, localization, modification, and interaction. Cell surface proteins play a central role in several pathological conditions, including cancer and its metastatic spread. However, cell surface proteins are underrepresented in proteomics analyses performed from the whole cell extracts due to their hydrophobicity and low abundance. Different methods have been developed to enrich and isolate the cell surface proteins to reduce sample complexity. Despite the method selected, the primary difficulty encountered is the solubilization of the hydrophobic transmembrane proteins from the lipid bilayer. This review focuses on proteomic analyses of metastasis-associated proteins identified using the cell surface biotinylation method. Interestingly, also certain intracellular proteins were identified from the cell surface samples. The function of these proteins at the cell surface might well differ from their function inside the cell.