Dissociation of staurosporine-induced apoptosis from G2-M arrest in SW620 human colonic carcinoma cells: initiation of the apoptotic cascade is associated with elevation of the mitochondrial membrane potential (deltapsim).

We have identified an alternative apoptotic cascade induced in SW620 human colonic carcinoma cells by the protein kinase antagonist staurosporine (stsp). Consistent with its effect in other colonic epithelial cells, stsp induced G2-M arrest and apoptosis of SW620 cells. However, despite the paradigm that growth arrest triggers apoptotic cascades, apoptosis was detected before G2-M arrest. Reports have linked dissipation of the mitochondrial membrane potential (deltapsim) to the initiation of apoptosis and have linked elevation of the deltapsim to the escape from apoptosis However, neither apoptosis nor cell cycle arrest were altered by the collapse of the deltapsim, and increased deltapsim enhanced the initiation of apoptosis but blocked G2-M arrest. Although reactive oxygen species (ROS) have been implicated in some colonic epithelial cell and stsp-induced cascades, neither antioxidants nor the inhibition of RNA or protein synthesis altered apoptosis of SW620 cells. Finally, cytosolic cytochrome c has been linked to activation of caspase-3 and dissipation of the deltapsim. However, caspase-3 activation preceded the accumulation of cytochrome c in the cytosol and was accompanied by transient elevations in both the deltapsim and mitochondria-associated cytochrome c. Therefore, we have identified a distinct apoptotic cascade in SW620 cells that was induced independently of growth arrest, dissipation of the deltapsim, ROS production, or synthesis of de novo RNA or protein, and we have linked its efficient initiation to early elevation of the deltapsim.

Short-chain fatty acid metabolism, apoptosis, and Apc-initiated tumorigenesis in the mouse gastrointestinal mucosa.

Short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) are physiological regulators of growth and differentiation in the gastrointestinal tract, and we have previously shown that apoptosis induced in colonic cell lines by these compounds is dependent on their metabolism by B-oxidation in the mitochondria (B. G. Heerdt et al., J. Biol. Chem., 266: 19120-19126, 1991; Cancer Res., 54: 3288-3293, 1994). Because tumors initiated by an inherited Apc mutation have been reported to be linked to decreases in apoptosis in the flat mucosa of the gastrointestinal tract, the aims were to determine whether elimination of efficient metabolism of SCFAs affected apoptosis in the gastrointestinal mucosa of the mouse, and whether this altered tumorigenesis initiated by an inherited Apc mutation. We, therefore, generated mice that have a chain-terminating mutation in the Apc gene and that were either wild-type for SCFA metabolism, or deficient, due to homozygous deletion of the gene (Scad) that encodes the enzyme short-chain acyl dehydrogenase, which catalyzes the first step in SCFA B-oxidation. Scad+/+ mice maintained on a wheat bran-fiber-supplemented diet gained significantly more weight than mice maintained on AIN76A, but this was eliminated by the Scad mutation, demonstrating that uptake and metabolism of SCFAs in the gastrointestinal tract can be a significant energy source. As predicted, on either AIN76A or wheat bran diet, the Scad mutation almost completely eliminated apoptosis in the flat mucosa of the proximal colon and reduced apoptosis by 50% in the distal colon compared with littermates that were wild-type for Scad. The mutation also reduced apoptosis by approximately 50% in the duodenum in AIN76A-fed mice. These reductions in apoptosis had no effect on incidence, frequency, or site specificity of tumors initiated by the Apc mutation. Therefore, the metabolism of SCFAs by the gastrointestinal mucosa plays a role in modulating apoptosis, but a general decrease in apoptosis in the mucosa of the gastrointestinal tract is not linked to gastrointestinal tumorigenesis initiated by an inherited Apc mutation.

Butyrate-induced apoptotic cascade in colonic carcinoma cells: modulation of the beta-catenin-Tcf pathway and concordance with effects of sulindac and trichostatin A but not curcumin.

Short-chain fatty acids play a critical role in colonic homeostasis because they stimulate pathways of growth arrest, differentiation, and apoptosis. These effects have been well characterized in colonic cell lines in vitro. We investigated the role of beta-catenin-Tcf signaling in these responses to butyrate and other well-characterized inducers of apoptosis of colonic epithelial cells. Unlike wild-type APC, which down-regulates Tcf activity, butyrate, as well as sulindac and trichostatin A, all inducers of G0-G1 cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in the SW620 colonic carcinoma cell line, up-regulate Tcf activity. In contrast, structural analogues of butyrate that do not induce cell cycle arrest or apoptosis and curcumin, which stimulates G2-M arrest without inducing apoptosis, do not alter Tcf activity. Similar to the cell cycle arrest and apoptotic cascade induced by butyrate, the up-regulation of Tcf activity is dependent upon the presence of a mitochondrial membrane potential, unlike the APC-induced down-regulation, which is insensitive to collapse of the mitochondrial membrane potential. Moreover, the butyrate-induced increase in Tcf activity, which is reflected in an increase in beta-catenin-Tcf complex formation, is independent of the down-regulation caused by expression of wild-type APC. Thus, butyrate and wild-type APC have different and independent effects on beta-catenin-Tcf signaling. These data are consistent with other reports that suggest that the absence of wild-type APC, associated with the up-regulation of this signaling pathway, is linked to the probability of a colonic epithelial cell entering an apoptotic cascade.

Initiation of growth arrest and apoptosis of MCF-7 mammary carcinoma cells by tributyrin, a triglyceride analogue of the short-chain fatty acid butyrate, is associated with mitochondrial activity.

We investigated the effects of tributyrin, a triglyceride analogue of the short-chain fatty acid butyrate and an approved food additive, establishing induction of growth arrest and apoptosis of MCF-7 human mammary carcinoma cells. Transient increased mitochondria-associated bax, dissipation of the mitochondrial membrane potential (delta(psi)m), and caspase-3-independent cleavage of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase are evident as early as 4 h after treatment of cells with tributyrin. These events are followed by the transient accumulation of mitochondrial cytochrome c in the cytosol and, finally, the generation and accumulation of cells with subdiploid DNA content. During the period in which mitochondria-associated bax levels are elevated, the delta(psi)m is disrupted, and cytochrome c is detected in the cytosol, we show induction of p21WAF1/Cip1 in the absence of increased p53 and arrest of cells in G2-M. Thus, early mitochondria-associated events may play a key role in initiating and/or coordinating tributyrin-mediated growth arrest and apoptosis of wild-type p53 MCF-7 cells. Because effective chemoprevention has been associated with agents that restore or maintain the balance between proliferation and apoptosis, dietary tributyrin, particularly during the critical period of mammary gland development, may be a promising chemopreventive agent.

Cellular mechanisms of risk and transformation.

Our early work using the first array and imaging methods for the quantitative analysis of the expression of 4000 cDNA sequences suggested that modulation of mitochondrial gene expression was a factor in determining whether colonic epithelial cells displayed a differentiated or transformed phenotype. We have since dissected a pathway in which mitochondrial function is a key element in determining the probability of cells undergoing cell-cycle arrest, lineage-specific differentiation, and cell death. Moreover, this pathway is linked to signaling through beta-catenin-Tcf, but in a manner that is independent of effects of the APC gene on beta-catenin-Tcf activity. Utilization of unique mouse genetic models of intestinal tumorigenesis has confirmed that mitochondrial function is an important element in generation of apoptotic cells in the colon in vivo and has demonstrated that modulation of cell death may be involved in intestinal tumor progression rather than initiation. Normal spatial and temporal patterns of cell proliferation, differentiation, and apoptosis in the colonic mucosa are determined by developmentally programmed genetic signals and external signals generated by homo- and heterotypic cell interactions, humoral agents, and lumenal contents. Mitochondrial function may play a pivotal role in integrating these signals and in determining probability of cells entering different maturation pathways. How this is accomplished is under investigation using high-density cDNA microarrays.

Mitochondrial membrane potential (delta psi(mt)) in the coordination of p53-independent proliferation and apoptosis pathways in human colonic carcinoma cells.

We have previously defined depressed mitochondrial function as a determinant in colon cancer risk and progression and established that metabolism of butyrate, a short-chain fatty acid generated during the fermentation of fiber by endogenous intestinal bacteria, induces mitochondrial function-dependent growth arrest and apoptosis of colonic carcinoma cells in vitro. Here, we dissect the relationships among mitochondrial function, growth arrest, and apoptosis, reporting that initiation and maintenance of butyrate-mediated p53-independent p21WAF1/Cip1 induction and subsequent G0/G1 arrest require an intact mitochondrial membrane potential (delta psi(mt)) and that the process of dissipation of the delta psi(mt) is then essential for initiation of a butyrate-induced apoptotic cascade. Thus, we hypothesize that mitochondria play a pivotal role in coordinating proliferation and apoptosis pathways, a coordination that must be tightly regulated in rapidly renewing tissues, such as the colonic mucosa.

Combination therapy with 5-fluorouracil and IFN-alpha2a induces a nonrandom increase in DNA fragments of less than 3 megabases in HT29 colon carcinoma cells.

We have used pulsed-field gel electrophoresis to examine 5-fluorouracil (5FU)-induced DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs), both with and without modulation by IFN-alpha2a (IFNalpha), in HT29 human colon adenocarcinoma cells. Although 24-h treatment with either 10 microM 5FU or 500 units/ml IFNalpha did not result in significant DNA fragmentation, the combination of 5FU + IFNalpha resulted in a significant increase in DNA DSBs versus either drug alone (P < 0.05). The pattern of fragmentation induced by treatment with 5FU + IFNalpha was compared to that induced by gamma-radiation, which generates lesions at random sites, digestion with NotI restriction endonuclease, which cleaves at the specific sequence 5' ellipsis GCGGCCGCellipsis 3', and HhaI restriction endonuclease, which cleaves at the specific sequence 5'ellipsis GCGCellipsis 3'. 5FU + IFNalpha resulted in a specific pattern characterized by the accumulation of fragments of <3 Mb in the absence of fragments of >3 Mb, which differed from that of gamma-radiation and restriction endonuclease digestion. Because neither morphological nor DNA fragmentation characteristic of apoptosis was observed after 5FU + IFNalpha treatment, the nonrandom pattern of DSBs that was observed did not appear to be the result of the initiation of programmed cell death within these cells.

Low-level c-myc amplification in human colonic carcinoma cell lines and tumors: a frequent, p53-independent mutation associated with improved outcome in a randomized multi-institutional trial.

Human colonic cancer is associated with multiple genetic deletions, mutations, and alterations in gene expression; in contrast, gene amplification has not been recognized as a prominent characteristic of human colonic tumors. Although the c-myc gene is overexpressed in approximately 70% of human colonic cancers, previous studies have not detected frequent gene amplification or rearrangement of c-myc in these tumors, although such amplification has been reported in chemically induced rodent colon cancer and quantitative analysis of gene copy number has shown the gene to be amplified at a low level in mucinous and poorly differentiated human colon carcinomas. Using rigorously controlled blot methodology, we have established that the c-myc gene, located at 8q21, exhibited amplification of 87% to 35-fold in 7 of 10 human colonic carcinoma cell lines. This was highly significant even at a low level of amplification in HT29 cells (P < 0.0001). Cytogenetic analysis by G-banding did not detect aneuploidy involving chromsome 8q, suggesting that the amplification for the c-myc gene on 8q was relatively specific, and this was consistent with a lack of amplification detected for the c-mos gene on 8q24, which was assayed similarly. The same methodology then revealed amplification of c-myc from 1.5-fold to 5-fold in 32% of tumors from 149 patients entered into a multi-institutional Phase III study of adjuvant therapy for colon cancer. c-myc status was not related to time to recurrence or death, but low levels of c-myc amplification identified a subset of patients who showed a statistically significant increase in disease-free survival, and a corresponding trend to longer overall survival, in response to adjuvant therapy with 5-fluorouracil plus levamisole. Presence of c-myc amplification was not related to incidence of p53 mutations.

Short-chain fatty acid-initiated cell cycle arrest and apoptosis of colonic epithelial cells is linked to mitochondrial function.

Butyrate, a short-chain fatty acid produced during microbial fermentation of fiber, induces growth arrest, differentiation, and apoptosis of colonic epithelial cells in vitro, and our prior work has shown that this induction is tightly linked to mitochondrial activity. Here we demonstrate that 12 h following induction, SW620 human colonic carcinoma cells accumulate simultaneously in G0-G1 and G2-M of the cell cycle. Four h later, during this G0-G1 to G2-M arrest, cells begin to undergo apoptosis. Using a series of unrelated agents that modulate mitochondrial functions, we demonstrate that mitochondrial electron transport and membrane potential are critical in initiation of this butyrate-mediated growth arrest and apoptosis. Colonic tumorigenesis is characterized by abnormalities in proliferation, apoptosis, and mitochondrial activities. Thus, butyrate may reduce risk for colon cancer by inducing a pathway that enhances mitochondrial function, ultimately resulting in initiation of growth arrest and apoptosis of colonic epithelial cells.

Steady-state levels of mitochondrial messenger RNA species characterize a predominant pathway culminating in apoptosis and shedding of HT29 human colonic carcinoma cells.

A differentiated human colonic epithelial cell has undergone relatively stable molecular, biochemical, and cellular alterations resulting in the acquisition of structures, activities, and functions that characterize it as one of at least three mature phenotypes: a columnar absorptive, secretory, or enteroendocrine cell. We have shown previously that induction of HT29 cells with the short-chain fatty acid sodium butyrate elevates alkaline phosphatase activity, a marker of the absorptive cell phenotype, and increases mitochondrial gene expression. Furthermore, this induction is accompanied by subsequent apoptosis and cell shedding. In this report, we have investigated the effects of forskolin, a potent inducer of the MUC2 gene in HT29 cells, a marker of the secretory phenotype, and have shown that neither apoptosis nor mitochondrial gene expression are significantly stimulated. Thus, differentiation along the secretory cell lineage may not play a major role in apoptosis of colonic epithelial cells. Moreover, we have also investigated two polar solvents, DMSO and dimethylformamide, which have been reported to induce a more differentiated, but as yet not well characterized, phenotype in colonic carcinoma cells in culture. Although neither polar solvent induces alkaline phosphatase expression or MUC2 expression, both induce significant apoptosis, again associated with significant elevation of mitochondrial gene expression. Thus, elevation of mitochondrial gene expression appears to be an important pathway in the induction of apoptosis in colonic epithelial cells in culture, whether or not markers characteristic of differentiation along either the absorptive or secretory cell lineage are induced.

Presence and instability of repetitive elements in sequences the altered expression of which characterizes risk for colonic cancer.

50C10 and 52H10 are two DNA clones previously reported by us to be overexpressed in human colonic mucosa at high risk for development of colonic tumors. This report presents sequencing data that reveal that these clones contain repetitive Alu elements. Each Alu sequence is associated with a 3'-oligoadenylate [oligo(A)] sequence, which is demonstrated to exhibit instability in human colonic tumors. The oligo(A) sequences only decrease in length, unlike microsatellites, which can either increase or decrease. Rigorous quantitative analysis of the length of the oligo(A) sequence in colonic tumors demonstrates that the standard deviation of the length of the sequence in tumors is a function of the mean length; i.e., as the oligo(A) sequence becomes progressively shorter, the variance increases. Both measurements, therefore, provide a quantitative index of the extent of instability in a tissue. Comparison of instability at the oligo(A) loci defined by 50C10 and 52H10 to instability at a CA microsatellite upstream of the apoD gene, and comparison of an oligo(A) and a CA microsatellite both in the 3' untranslated region of the cyclin D1 mRNA demonstrate that instability in a tumor, when present, is more prominent for the oligo(A) sequences than for the microsatellite (P < 0.0001). This suggests either that the mechanisms that generate oligo(A) instability are more penetrant than those that generate microsatellite instability, or that the instability at oligo(A) sequences takes place earlier in the development of the tumor and is selected for, thus becoming more prominent. These features of oligo(A) instability suggest that they may be uniquely useful in detecting and quantifying instability in tissues. Further, the presence of repetitive sequence elements in loci overexpressed in colonic mucosa at risk may be related to an extensive literature that demonstrates that a variety of repetitive sequences accumulate in the cellular RNA population during carcinogenesis and in tumors. Such RNA sequences could play a mechanistic role in tumor development.

Polymorphisms, but lack of mutations or instability, in the promotor region of the mitochondrial genome in human colonic tumors.

The region of the human mitochondrial D-loop has been sequenced from DNA of colonic tumors and paired normal colonic tissue to determine if mutations in the promotors for the heavy or light strands are responsible for the decrease in mitochondrial gene expression present in colonic tumors. No mutations were detected in the colonic tumors, but new polymorphisms, including a sequence analogous to CA microsatellites in genomic DNA, were revealed. These polymorphisms are restricted to positions within the D-loop which are not essential for accurate and efficient in vitro mitochondrial transcription. Thus, these data confirm the boundaries of the functional heavy and light strand promotors determined by in vitro assays. Further, although some of the tumors investigated show genomic microsatellite instability similar to that recently reported for colonic tumors, the CA polymorphic region in the mitochondrial D-loop does not show coincident instability in the tumors. Therefore, as in yeast, there may be both a mitochondrial and a nuclear enzyme responsible for mismatch repair, with only the latter involved in generation of instability in some human colon cancers. In summary, our data do not find any structural alterations in the D-loop region of the human mitochondrial genome encompassing the heavy and light strand promotors which can account for the decreased expression of the mitochondrial genome in colonic tumors.

Potentiation by specific short-chain fatty acids of differentiation and apoptosis in human colonic carcinoma cell lines.

The architecture of normal colonic mucosa suggest that terminally differentiated epithelial cells near the top of the crypt are extruded into the colonic lumen. Morphological studies have identified apoptotic cells among the differentiated phenotypes near the crypt-lumen interface, suggesting a link between pathways of differentiation, apoptosis, and cellular shedding. We studied these processes in HT29 and SW620 cells and found that compared to adherent cells, those cells which were shed during standard, uninduced culture conditions exhibited nonrandom DNA fragmentation characteristic of apoptosis. Moreover, these apoptotic cells, which accumulate in the media, exhibited a more differentiated phenotype. Because short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) are natural effectors of colonic cell differentiation in vivo, we investigated the specificity of three 4-carbon atom SCFAs on potentiating differentiation and apoptosis, and thus accumulation of shed cells in the conditioned media, in these colonic carcinoma cell lines. Whereas the unbranched SCFA butyrate induced a more differentiated phenotype and enhanced apoptosis, two derivatives of butyrate, branched isobutyric acid and a nonmetabolizable fluorine-substituted analogue, heptafluorobutyric acid, were ineffective in inducing either differentiation or apoptosis. Thus, potentiated differentiation and apoptosis in colonic carcinoma cells were linked to SCFA structure and, most likely, utilization.

Modulation of gene expression as a biomarker in colon.

Computer-driven scanning and image processing methodology has demonstrated that genetic inheritance of risk for colorectal cancer in familial polyposis (FAP) and hereditary non-polyposis colorectal cancer (HNPCC) families is associated with highly pleiotropic effects on patterns of gene expression in the flat colonic mucosa. The mitochondrial (mt) gene encoding subunit 3 of cytochrome oxidase (COXIII) is one of a panel of cloned sequences which characterize genetic risk. Expression of COXIII decreased in progression of, and risk for, colonic tumors in vivo. Further, metabolizable, unbranched, short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) elevated expression of mtCOXIII, as well as mtCOXI, in HT29 cells and also elevated mtCOX enzymatic activity. However, expression of nuclear encoded COX subunits were unaffected. These changes may be related to documented alterations in mitochondria structure and function in transformed colonic epithelial cells. SCFAs produced when colonic microflora causes fermentation of fiber are the principle energy source for normal colonic epithelial cells; SCFAs also induce a more differentiated phenotype both in vitro and in vivo. Therefore, a mechanistic link may exist between molecular events in inherited risk and a dietary factor (fiber) which may modulate such risk. In a preliminary intervention trial in collaboration with M. Lipkin, high risk HNPCC patients received daily supplements of 1500 mg CaCO3 per day, which may be protective for development of colorectal tumors. Elevations in COXIII expression were seen in 7 of 12 patients within the first 7 months, followed by complex changes in expression of this sequence.

Effects of fatty acids on expression of genes encoding subunits of cytochrome c oxidase and cytochrome c oxidase activity in HT29 human colonic adenocarcinoma cells.

As the primary and preferred energy source of normal colonic epithelial cells, fatty acids may play a unique role in the differentiation and physiology of these cells. We have shown that expression levels of COXIII, a mitochondrial gene encoding one of the 13 subunits of cytochrome c oxidase, are abnormally low in colon tumors and colonic tissue at genetic risk for developing tumors but increase following in vitro treatment of HT29 human colonic adenocarcinoma cells with the fatty acid butyrate. The present studies investigate the specificity of fatty acids in effecting cytochrome c oxidase subunit expression and enzymatic activity in HT29 cells. The data demonstrate that, depending upon their chain length, metabolizable unbranched fatty acids increase expression of two subunits encoded by mitochondrial genes (I and III) and enhance cytochrome c oxidase activity. However, none of the fatty acids had an effect on expression of two subunits encoded by nuclear genes (IV and Va). These findings suggest that the low levels of COXIII expression exhibited in colonic tumors may represent a limiting factor in the assembly of functional cytochrome c oxidase and contribute to the depressed enzyme activity reported in these tumors. By elevating expression of subunits I and III and enzymatic activity, fatty acids may enhance the potential for cellular respiration. The more differentiated phenotype which is reported in colorectal carcinoma cell lines treated with fatty acids in vitro may be, therefore, associated with correction of metabolic abnormalities in transformed cells.

Aggressive subtypes of human colorectal tumors frequently exhibit amplification of the c-myc gene.

Expression of the c-myc gene is often elevated in human colorectal tumors, but reported amplification of the locus is rare. Here we demonstrate that modest amplification of c-myc is frequently found in aggressive subtypes of colorectal cancer. Careful quantitation of c-myc copy number has shown amplification in 53.8% (7/13) mucinous tumors, 42.3% (3/7) poorly differentiated tumors and a single poorly differentiated APUD tumor. This contrasts with amplification in 6.9% (2/29) moderately to well differentiated tumors, a value which is in agreement with that in previously published reports. Such changes in gene copy number may represent an important aspect of the genomic alterations which accumulate during the development of colorectal tumors.

Expression of mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase in human colonic cell differentiation, transformation, and risk for colonic cancer.

In a panel of eight cloned complementary DNA sequences whose level of expression characterize colon cells as transformed in vivo and in vitro, one which may also serve as a marker of risk in familial polyposis and familial colon cancer flat mucosa has been identified as mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit 3. Mean level of expression of cytochrome c oxidase subunit 3 decreases progressively in colon adenomas and carcinomas relative to normal mucosa in vivo, and returns to higher levels present in biopsies of normal mucosa when the HT29 human colonic adenocarcinoma cell line is induced to differentiate with sodium butyrate. Quantitation of cytochrome c oxidase subunit 3 DNA by dot blots indicated that these changes in expression were not associated with alterations in the number of mitochondrial genomes.

Changes in the number of mitochondrial genomes during human development.

Using a cDNA probe for the mitochondrially encoded third subunit of cytochrome c oxidase (COIII) we found a progressive increase in the number of mitochondrial DNA molecules in specific human tissues during normal fetal development. The data indicate that the tissue, rather than the final number of mitochondrial genomes, apparently plays a dominant role in determining the gestational stage at which the adult complement of this DNA is established.