Pre-treatment levels of circulating free IGF-1 identify NSCLC patients who derive clinical benefit from figitumumab.

BACKGROUND: Phase III trials of the anti-insulin-like growth factor type 1 receptor (IGF-IR) antibody figitumumab (F) in unselected non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients were recently discontinued owing to futility. Here, we investigated a role of free IGF-1 (fIGF-1) as a potential predictive biomarker of clinical benefit from F treatment. MATERIALS AND METHOD: Pre-treatment circulating levels of fIGF-1 were tested in 110 advanced NSCLC patients enrolled in a phase II study of paclitaxel and carboplatin given alone (PC) or in combination with F at doses of 10 or 20 mg kg(-1) (PCF10, PCF20). RESULTS: Cox proportional hazards model interactions were between 2.5 and 3.5 for fIGF-1 criteria in the 0.5-0.9 ng ml(-1) range. Patients above each criterion had a substantial improvement in progression-free survival on PCF20 related to PC alone. Free IGF-1 correlated inversely with IGF binding protein 1 (IGFBP-1, ρ=-0.295, P=0.005), and the pre-treatment ratio of insulin to IGFBP-1 was also predictive of F clinical benefit. In addition, fIGF-1 levels correlated with tumour vimentin expression (ρ=0.594, P=0.021) and inversely with E-cadherin (ρ=-0.389, P=0.152), suggesting a role for fIGF-1 in tumour de-differentiation. CONCLUSION: Free IGF-1 may contribute to the identification of a subset of NSCLC patients who benefit from F therapy.

Akt1/PKB upregulation leads to vascular smooth muscle cell hypertrophy and polyploidization.

Vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) at capacitance arteries of hypertensive individuals and animals undergo marked age- and blood pressure-dependent polyploidization and hypertrophy. We show here that VSMCs at capacitance arteries of rat models of hypertension display high levels of Akt1/PKB protein and activity. Gene transfer of Akt1 to VSMCs isolated from a normotensive rat strain was sufficient to abrogate the activity of the mitotic spindle cell-cycle checkpoint, promoting polyploidization and hypertrophy. Furthermore, the hypertrophic agent angiotensin II induced VSMC polyploidization in an Akt1-dependent manner. These results demonstrate that Akt1 regulates ploidy levels in VSMCs and contributes to vascular smooth muscle polyploidization and hypertrophy during hypertension.

Ectopic expression of cdc2/cdc28 kinase subunit Homo sapiens 1 uncouples cyclin B metabolism from the mitotic spindle cell cycle checkpoint.

Primary human fibroblasts arrest growth in response to the inhibition of mitosis by mitotic spindle-depolymerizing drugs. We show that the mechanism of mitotic arrest is transient and implicates a decrease in the expression of cdc2/cdc28 kinase subunit Homo sapiens 1 (CKsHs1) and a delay in the metabolism of cyclin B. Primary human fibroblasts infected with a retroviral vector that drives the expression of a mutant p53 protein failed to downregulate CKsHs1 expression, degraded cyclin B despite the absence of chromosomal segregation, and underwent DNA endoreduplication. In addition, ectopic expression of CKsHs1 interfered with the control of cyclin B metabolism by the mitotic spindle cell cycle checkpoint and resulted in a higher tendency to undergo DNA endoreduplication. These results demonstrate that an altered regulation of CKsHs1 and cyclin B in cells that carry mutant p53 undermines the mitotic spindle cell cycle checkpoint and facilitates the development of aneuploidy. These data may contribute to the understanding of the origin of heteroploidy in mutant p53 cells.

A proliferative p53-responsive element mediates tumor necrosis factor alpha induction of the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 long terminal repeat.

Transforming mutants of the p53 tumor suppressor gene can positively regulate transcription from several promoters that do not contain known p53 binding sites. Here, we report the identification of a novel p53 binding site in the human immunodeficiency virus long terminal repeat that specifically mediates mutant p53 transactivation. This DNA element was bound by endogenous Jurkat p53 when these cells were stimulated by tumor necrosis factor. Mutation of this sequence inhibited p53 transactivation and tumor necrosis factor inducibility of the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 long terminal repeat. In addition, this DNA element was found to be sufficient to confer mutant p53 responsiveness on a heterologous minimal promoter. It has been hypothesized that transforming mutants of p53 represent a proliferative conformational stage that can be adopted by the native protein under stimulation by growth factors. The data presented suggest that proliferative and antiproliferative p53 conformations recognize different DNA binding sites in order to mediate distinct biological functions. Thus, transforming mutants of p53 that fold into the proliferative conformation would favor proliferative over antiproliferative functions.

Calcineurin is activated in rat hearts with physiological left ventricular hypertrophy induced by voluntary exercise training.

BACKGROUND: Calcineurin may play a pivotal role in the signaling of cardiac hypertrophy; since this hypothesis was first put forward, controversial reports have been published using various experimental models. This study was designed to compare the physiological left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) induced by voluntary exercise with LVH induced by aortic constriction and to determine whether calcineurin participates in the signaling of exercise-induced LVH. METHODS AND RESULTS: Wistar rats were assigned to 1 of the following 5 groups: 10 weeks of voluntary exercise (EX), a sedentary regimen, a 1-week (AC1) or 4-week (AC4) ascending aortic constriction period, or a sham operation. EX rats ran 2.4+/-0.7 km/day voluntarily in specially manufactured cages; this was associated with an increase of LV diastolic dimension and stroke volume. Myocardial calcineurin activity markedly increased in EX rats (46.4+/-8.3 versus 18.4+/-0.5 pmol. min(-1). mg(-1) in sedentary rats; P<0.001) and in AC1 rats (44.9+/-6.7 versus 22.1+/-3.7 pmol. min(-1). mg(-1) in sham-operated rats; P<0.001), but not in AC4 rats (29.0+/-3.4 pmol. min(-1). mg(-1)). Treatment with cyclosporin A completely inhibited the development of LVH in EX rats, but it only partially attenuated the development of LVH in AC4 rats. CONCLUSIONS: Calcineurin was activated in exercise-induced physiological LVH and in the developing phase of LVH (AC1), but not in decompensated pressure-overload hypertrophy (AC4). Cyclosporin therapy for the prevention of LVH may be harmful because it does not block the development of pathological hypertrophy but rather that of favorable adaptive hypertrophy.

The control of mitosis.

A precise coordination of multiple cell cycle events is required to ensure proper mitosis. Chromosome cohesion must be maintained until all chromosomes are attached to opposite poles of the mitotic spindle and aligned at the metaphase plate. At the onset of anaphase, the activity of separins contributes to the release of cohesins from chromosomes, allowing for the segregation of bivalents to opposite spindle poles. Separin activity is blocked by binding to a class of proteins known as securins, whose turnover at the metaphase-to-anaphase transition is triggered by the Anaphase Promoting Complex or cyclosome. The mitotic spindle cell cycle checkpoint coordinates the timing of these events and acts as input mechanism for DNA damage/stress pathways. Failure of this precise network leads to genomic instability and/or cell death.

Gain of function properties of mutant p53 proteins at the mitotic spindle cell cycle checkpoint.

Mutations in the p53 tumor suppressor gene locus predispose human cells to chromosomal instability. This is due in part to interference of mutant p53 proteins with the activity of the mitotic spindle and postmitotic cell cycle checkpoints. Recent data demonstrates that wild type p53 is required for postmitotic checkpoint activity, but plays no role at the mitotic spindle checkpoint. Likewise, structural dominant p53 mutants demonstrate gain-of-function properties at the mitotic spindle checkpoint and dominant negative properties at the postmitotic checkpoint. At mitosis, mutant p53 proteins interfere with the control of the metaphase-to-anaphase progression by up-regulating the expression of CKs1, a protein that mediates activatory phosphorylation of the anaphase promoting complex (APC) by Cdc2. Cells that carry mutant p53 proteins overexpress CKs1 and are unable to sustain APC inactivation and mitotic arrest. Thus, mutant p53 gain-of-function at mitosis constitutes a key component to the origin of chromosomal instability in mutant p53 cells.

Cks1 mediates vascular smooth muscle cell polyploidization.

Vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC) at capacitance arteries of hypertensive individuals and animals undergo dramatic polyploidization that contributes toward their hypertrophic phenotype. We report here the identification of a defective mitotic spindle cell cycle checkpoint in VSMC isolated from capacitance arteries of pre-hypertensive rats. These cells demonstrated a high predisposition to polyploidization in culture and failed to maintain cyclin B protein levels in response to colcemid, a mitotic inhibitor. Furthermore, this altered mitotic spindle checkpoint status was associated with the overexpression of Cks1, a Cdc2 adapter protein that promotes cyclin B degradation. Cks1 up-regulation, cyclin B down-regulation, and VSMC polyploidization were evidenced at the smooth muscle of capacitance arteries of genetically hypertensive and Goldblatt-operated rats. In addition, angiotensin II infusion dramatically increased Cks1 protein levels at capacitance arteries of normotensive rats, and angiotensin II treatment of isolated VSMC abrogated their ability to down-regulate Cks1 and maintain cyclin B protein expression in response to colcemid. Finally, transduction of VSMC from normotensive animals with a retrovirus that drives the expression of Cks1 was sufficient to alter their mitotic spindle cell cycle checkpoint status and promote unscheduled cyclin B metabolism, cell cycle re-entry, and polyploidization. These data demonstrate that Cks1 regulates cyclin B metabolism and ploidy in VSMC and may contribute to the understanding of the phenomena of VSMC polyploidization during hypertension.

p53 is a transcriptional activator of the muscle-specific phosphoglycerate mutase gene and contributes in vivo to the control of its cardiac expression.

The role that the p53 tumor suppressor gene product plays in cellular differentiation remains controversial. However, recent evidence indicates that p53 is required for proper embryogenesis. We have studied the effect of p53 on the expression mediated by the promoter of the rat muscle-specific phosphoglycerate mutase gene (M-PGAM), a marker for cardiac and skeletal muscle differentiation. Experiments involving transient transfection, mobility shift assay, and site-directed mutagenesis demonstrated that p53 specifically binds and transactivates the M-PGAM promoter. The p53-related proteins p51A and p73L also transactivated M-PGAM. Moreover, stable expression of a p53 dominant mutant in C2C12 cells blocked the induction of M-PGAM expression during the myoblast to myotube transition and the ability of p53, p51A, and p73L to transactivate the M-PGAM promoter. In addition, impaired expression of M-PGAM was observed in a subset of p53-null animals in heart and muscle tissues of anterior-ventral location. These results demonstrate that p53 is a transcriptional activator of M-PGAM that contributes in vivo to the control of its cardiac expression. These data support previous findings indicating a role for p53 in cellular differentiation.