Antibody-Based Targeting of Cell Surface GRP94 Specifically Inhibits Cetuximab-Resistant Colorectal Cancer Growth.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the leading causes of cancer death worldwide. Cetuximab, a human/mouse chimeric monoclonal antibody, is effective in a limited number of CRC patients because of cetuximab resistance. This study aimed to identify novel therapeutic targets in cetuximab-resistant CRC in order to improve clinical outcomes. Through phage display technology, we isolated a fully human antibody strongly binding to the cetuximab-resistant HCT116 cell surface and identified the target antigen as glucose-regulated protein 94 (GRP94) using proteomic analysis. Short interfering RNA-mediated GRP94 knockdown showed that GRP94 plays a key role in HCT116 cell growth. In vitro functional studies revealed that the GRP94-blocking antibody we developed strongly inhibits the growth of various cetuximab-resistant CRC cell lines. We also demonstrated that GRP94 immunoglobulin G monotherapy significantly reduces HCT116 cell growth more potently compared to cetuximab, without severe toxicity in vivo. Therefore, cell surface GRP94 might be a potential novel therapeutic target in cetuximab-resistant CRC, and antibody-based targeting of GRP94 might be an effective strategy to suppress GRP94-expressing cetuximab-resistant CRC.

Inhibition of VEGF-dependent angiogenesis and tumor angiogenesis by an optimized antibody targeting CLEC14a.

The C-type lectin-like domain of CLEC14a (CLEC14a-C-type lectin-like domain [CTLD]) is a key domain that mediates endothelial cell-cell contacts in angiogenesis. However, the role of CLEC14a-CTLD in pathological angiogenesis has not yet been clearly elucidated. In this study, through complementarity-determining region grafting, consecutive deglycosylation, and functional isolation, we generated a novel anti-angiogenic human monoclonal antibody that specifically targets CLEC14a-CTLD and that shows improved stability and homogeneity relative to the parental antibody. We found that this antibody directly inhibits CLEC14a-CTLD-mediated endothelial cell-cell contact and simultaneously downregulates expression of CLEC14a on the surface of endothelial cells. Using various in vitro and in vivo functional assays, we demonstrated that this antibody effectively suppresses vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-dependent angiogenesis and tumor angiogenesis of SNU182 human hepatocellular carcinoma, CFPAC-1 human pancreatic cancer, and U87 human glioma cells. Furthermore, we also found that this antibody significantly inhibits tumor angiogenesis of HCT116 and bevacizumab-adapted HCT116 human colorectal cancer cells. These findings suggest that antibody targeting of CLEC14a-CTLD has the potential to suppress VEGF-dependent angiogenesis and tumor angiogenesis and that CLEC14a-CTLD may be a novel anti-angiogenic target for VEGF-dependent angiogenesis and tumor angiogenesis.

Ultrasensitive NIR-SERRS Probes with Multiplexed Ratiometric Quantification for In Vivo Antibody Leads Validation.

Immunotargeting ability of antibodies may show significant difference between in vitro and in vivo. To select antibody leads with high affinity and specificity, it is necessary to perform in vivo validation of antibody candidates following in vitro antibody screening. Herein, a robust in vivo validation of anti-tetraspanin-8 antibody candidates against human colon cancer using ratiometric quantification method is reported. The validation is performed on a single mouse and analyzed by multiplexed surface-enhanced Raman scattering using ultrasensitive and near infrared (NIR)-active surface-enhanced resonance Raman scattering nanoprobes (NIR-SERRS dots). The NIR-SERRS dots are composed of NIR-active labels and Au/Ag hollow-shell assembled silica nanospheres. A 93% of NIR-SERRS dots is detectable at a single-particle level and signal intensity is 100-fold stronger than that from nonresonant molecule-labeled spherical Au NPs (80 nm). The result of SERRS-based antibody validation is comparable to that of the conventional method using single-photon-emission computed tomography. The NIR-SERRS-based strategy is an alternate validation method which provides cost-effective and accurate multiplexing measurements for antibody-based drug development.

CLEC14a-HSP70-1A interaction regulates HSP70-1A-induced angiogenesis.

CLEC14a (C-type lectin domain family 14 member) is a tumor endothelial cell marker protein that is known to play an important role in tumor angiogenesis, but the basic molecular mechanisms underlying this function have not yet been clearly elucidated. In this study, using various proteomic tools, we isolated a 70-kDa protein that interacts with the C-type lectin-like domain of CLEC14a (CLEC14a-CTLD) and identified it as heat shock protein 70-1A (HSP70-1A). Co-immunoprecipitation showed that HSP70-1A and CLEC14a interact on endothelial cells. In vitro binding analyses identified that HSP70-1A specifically associates with the region between amino acids 43 and 69 of CLEC14a-CTLD. Competitive blocking experiments indicated that this interacting region of CLEC14a-CTLD significantly inhibits HSP70-1A-induced extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) phosphorylation and endothelial tube formation by directly inhibiting CLEC14a-CTLD-mediated endothelial cell-cell contacts. Our data suggest that the specific interaction of HSP70-1A with CLEC14a may play a critical role in HSP70-1A-induced angiogenesis and that the HSP70-1A-interacting region of CLEC14a-CTLD may be a useful tool for inhibiting HSP70-1A-induced angiogenesis.

A Human Antibody That Binds to the Sixth Ig-Like Domain of VCAM-1 Blocks Lung Cancer Cell Migration In Vitro.

Vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1) is closely associated with tumor progression and metastasis. However, the relevance and role of VCAM-1 in lung cancer have not been clearly elucidated. In this study, we found that VCAM-1 was highly overexpressed in lung cancer tissue compared with that of normal lung tissue, and high VCAM-1 expression correlated with poor survival in lung cancer patients. VCAM-1 knockdown reduced migration of A549 human lung cancer cells into Matrigel, and competitive blocking experiments targeting the Ig-like domain 6 of VCAM-1 (VCAM-1-D6) demonstrated that the VCAM-1-D6 domain was critical for VCAM-1 mediated A549 cell migration into Matrigel. Next, we developed a human monoclonal antibody specific to human and mouse VCAM-1-D6 (VCAM-1-D6 huMab), which was isolated from a human synthetic antibody library using phage display technology. Finally, we showed that VCAM-1-D6 huMab had a nanomolar affinity for VCAM-1-D6 and that it potently suppressed the migration of A549 and NCI-H1299 lung cancer cell lines into Matrigel. Taken together, these results suggest that VCAM-1-D6 is a key domain for regulating VCAM-1-mediated lung cancer invasion and that our newly developed VCAM-1-D6 huMab will be a useful tool for inhibiting VCAM-1-expressing lung cancer cell invasion.

Ig-like domain 6 of VCAM-1 is a potential therapeutic target in TNFα-induced angiogenesis.

Tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFα)-induced angiogenesis plays important roles in the progression of various diseases, including cancer, wet age-related macular degeneration, and rheumatoid arthritis. However, the relevance and role of vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1) in angiogenesis have not yet been clearly elucidated. In this study, VCAM-1 knockdown shows VCAM-1 involvement in TNFα-induced angiogenesis. Through competitive blocking experiments with VCAM-1 Ig-like domain 6 (VCAM-1-D6) protein, we identified VCAM-1-D6 as a key domain regulating TNFα-induced vascular tube formation. We demonstrated that a monoclonal antibody specific to VCAM-1-D6 suppressed TNFα-induced endothelial cell migration and tube formation and TNFα-induced vessel sprouting in rat aortas. We also found that the antibody insignificantly affected endothelial cell viability, morphology and activation. Finally, the antibody specifically blocked VCAM-1-mediated cell-cell contacts by directly inhibiting VCAM-1-D6-mediated interaction between VCAM-1 molecules. These findings suggest that VCAM-1-D6 may be a potential novel therapeutic target in TNFα-induced angiogenesis and that antibody-based modulation of VCAM-1-D6 may be an effective strategy to suppress TNFα-induced angiogenesis.

Development of a sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for the detection of CD44v3 using exon v3- and v6-specific monoclonal antibody pairs.

It has been suggested that soluble CD44 levels in cancer patient sera may be closely associated with tumor progression and metastasis. However, to date, there has been limited methodology for detecting the soluble CD44 variant 3 isoform (CD44v3). Herein, using phage display technology, we isolated monoclonal antibodies specific to exon v3 or v6 of CD44 (CD44-exonv3 or CD44-exonv6) from a human synthetic antibody library. We also confirmed the specificity of antibody binding to CD44-exonv3 or -exonv6. Label-free kinetic analysis using the Octet biolayer interferometry system showed that the Kd values of the anti-CD44-exonv3 and anti-CD44-exonv6 antibodies for CD44v3-10 are approximately 1.1nM and 1.5nM, respectively. Finally, we developed a sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) using the anti-CD44-exonv3 and anti-CD44-exonv6 antibody pairs. The minimum detection limit of the assay was 6.2ng/ml CD44v3-10 and the linear range was up to 125ng/ml. Intra- and inter-assay coefficients of variation were 2.2% and 2.9%, respectively. The intra- and inter-assay recoveries were 99.3% and 105.3%, respectively. Taken together, these results suggest that this novel sandwich ELISA using the anti-CD44-exonv3 and anti-CD44-exonv6 antibody pairs will be useful for the detection of soluble CD44v3 in cancer patient sera.

Heat shock protein 70-1A is a novel angiogenic regulator.

Heat shock protein 70-1A (HSP70-1A) is a stress-inducible protein that provides an essential intracellular molecular chaperone function; however, the mechanism of HSP70-1A in angiogenesis has not been clarified. Herein, HSP70-1A gene silencing implicated this protein in angiogenesis. Additionally, recombinant human HSP70-1A (rhHSP70-1A) was able to stimulate human umbilical vein endothelial cell (HUVEC) migration and tube formation in vitro and microvessel formation in vivo similarly to recombinant human vascular endothelial growth factor (rhVEGF). Furthermore, rhHSP70-1A was tightly bound to the surface of HUVECs and participated in extracellular signal-related kinase (ERK)-dependent angiogenesis. Together, these results implicate HSP70-1A as a novel angiogenic regulator.

Generation of a human antibody that inhibits TSPAN8-mediated invasion of metastatic colorectal cancer cells.

Tetraspanin 8 (TSPAN8) is a tumor-associated antigen implicated in tumor progression and metastasis. However, the validation of TSPAN8 as a potential therapeutic target in metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) has not yet been studied. In this study, through several in vitro methodologies, we identified a large extracellular loop of TSPAN8 (TSPAN8-LEL) as a key domain for regulating mCRC invasion. Using phage display technology, we developed a novel anti-TSPAN8-LEL human antibody with subnanomolar affinity that specifically recognizes amino acids 140-205 of TSPAN8-LEL in a conformation-dependent manner. Finally, we demonstrated that the antibody specifically reduces invasion in the HCT116 and LoVo mCRC cell lines more potently than in the HCT-8 and SW480 non-mCRC cell lines. Our data suggest that TSPAN8-LEL may play an important role in mCRC cell invasion, and that the antibody we have developed could be a useful tool for inhibiting the invasion of TSPAN8-expressing mCRCs.

Lys1110 of TRPM2 is critical for channel activation.

TRPM2 (transient receptor potential melastatin 2) is a non-selective Ca2+-permeable cation channel activated by ADPR (adenosine diphosphoribose) and H2O2. It is widely expressed in mammalian cells and plays an important role in the regulation of various cell functions. However, the mechanisms of TRPM2 channel activation are not fully understood. Previously, we reported that TRPM2 channel activation is induced by high intracellular Cl- concentration. In the present study, we investigated the functional role of Lys1110 in the membrane-proximal C-terminal region by site-directed mutagenesis. Replacement of the positively charged amino acid lysine (Lys1110) with the neutrally charged amino acid asparagine (K1110N) or the negatively charged amino acid glutamic acid (K1110E) generated mutants that failed to induce an increase in free cytosolic calcium concentration ([Ca2+]i) not only by intracellular injection of Cl-, but also by H2O2 or ADPR. However, a mutant generated by replacing the lysine residue with a positively charged amino acid arginine (K1110R) displayed channel activity similar to wild-type TRPM2. Interestingly, in the K1107N/K1110N double-point mutant, the impaired function of the K1110N mutant in response to ADPR and H2O2, but not to Cl-, was recovered. There were no changes in protein expression, membrane trafficking and oligomerization of the mutant channels. The extent of [Ca2+]i increase by H2O2 in HEK (human embryonic kidney)-293 cells expressing TRPM2 mutants was well correlated with the degree of susceptibility to H2O2-induced cell death. These results display the crucial role of a positively charged amino acid residue at position 1110 for TRPM2 channel activity.

Protective effects of ferulic acid in amyloid precursor protein plus presenilin-1 transgenic mouse model of Alzheimer disease.

We previously reported the protective effects of long-term administration of ferulic acid against the in vivo toxicity of ß-amyloid peptide administered intracerebroventricularly in mice. In the present study, we investigated the effects of ferulic acid in transgenic amyloid precursor protein (APP)swe/presenilin 1 (PS1)dE9 (APP/PS1) mouse model of Alzheimer disease (AD). Chronic (for 6 months from the age of 6 to 12 months) oral administration of ferulic acid at a dose of 5.3 mg/kg/day significantly enhanced the performance in novel-object recognition task, and reduced amyloid deposition and interleukin-1 beta (IL-1ß) levels in the frontal cortex. These results suggest that ferulic acid at a certain dosage could be useful for prevention and treatment of AD.

Cerebral fat embolism syndrome after simultaneous bilateral total knee arthroplasty: a case series.

Total knee arthroplasty (TKA), particularly when performed as a simultaneous bilateral procedure, theoretically increases the risk for entry of fat globules into the blood stream. The frequency of cerebral fat embolism syndrome (CFES) was retrospectively investigated among 2345 simultaneous bilateral TKA procedures performed from August 2006 to May 2010. During that period, 9 patients presented with neurologic deficits after surgery and underwent brain magnetic resonance imaging. For identification of CFES among them, we used both magnetic resonance imaging findings and clinical criteria modified from the original one of Gurd and Wilson (J Bone Joint Surg Br 1974; 56B:408). Four patients fulfilled the modified criteria. The overall incidence of CFES occurring after simultaneous bilateral TKA was 0.17%. Cerebral fat embolism syndrome should be ruled out, although rare, in patients who present with neurologic impairment after TKA.

Lysophosphatidylcholine increases neutrophil bactericidal activity by enhancement of azurophil granule-phagosome fusion via glycine.GlyR alpha 2/TRPM2/p38 MAPK signaling.

Neutrophils are the first-line defense against microbes. Enhancing the microbicidal activity of neutrophils could complement direct antimicrobial therapy for controlling intractable microbial infections. Previously, we reported that lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC), an endogenous lipid, enhances neutrophil bactericidal activity (Yan et al. 2004. Nat. Med. 10: 161-167). In this study we show that LPC enhancement of neutrophil bactericidal activity is dependent on glycine, and is mediated by translocation of intracellularly located glycine receptor (GlyR) alpha2 to the plasma membrane, and subsequent increase in azurophil granule-phagosome fusion/elastase release. LPC induced GlyRalpha2-mediated [Cl(-)](i) increase, leading to transient receptor potential melastatin (TRPM)2-mediated Ca(2+) influx. Studies using human embryonic kidney 293 cells heterologously expressing TRPM2 and neutrophils showed that TRPM2 channel activity is sensitive to [Cl(-)](i). Finally, LPC induced p38 MAPK phosphorylation in an extracellular calcium/glycine dependent manner. SB203580, a p38 MAPK inhibitor, blocked LPC-induced enhancement in Lucifer yellow uptake, azurophil granule-phagosome fusion, and bactericidal activity. These results propose that enhancement of azurophil granule-phagosome fusion via GlyRalpha2/TRPM2/p38 MAPK signaling is a novel target for enhancement of neutrophil bactericidal activity.

Spontaneous osteonecrosis of the knee involving both the medial femoral condyle and the medial tibial plateau: report of three cases.

Spontaneous osteonecrosis of the knee (SPONK) usually involves a single condyle or plateau. The medial femoral condyle (MFC) is most often involved and spontaneous osteonecrosis of the medial tibial plateau (MTP) is a rare condition, representing only 2% of all necroses reported in the knee. SPONK involving both the MFC and the MTP is extremely rare. SPONK occurring in either the MFC or the MTP individually might extend to the corresponding side of the knee in the advanced end-stage; however, in that situation, significant degenerative changes would exist and it might be difficult to differentiate end-stage SPONK form severe osteoarthritis. SPONK affecting both the MFC and the MTP without significant secondary osteoarthritic changes has not been reported, even though it is difficult to know which occurs first. We have cared for three patients with histologically proven osteonecrosis of the MFC and MTP and report their radiologic features.