Inhibition of tumor cells proliferation and migration by the flavonoid furin inhibitor isolated from Oroxylum indicum.

BACKGROUND: The medicinally active plant Oroxylum indicum (OI) has drawn considerable research interest because of its many observed biological activities. Of particular interest is its antitumorigenic activity. The plant is a rich source of flavonoids and their glycosides. Recently flavonoids have been described as inhibitors of kexin-type proteases of superfamily Proprotein Convertase Subtilisin/ Kexins (PCSKs) which have been implicated in tumor growth and malignancy. These enzymes particularly furin (PCSK3) cleaves inactive precursor growth factors into their mature forms that promote tumor growth. As a result, finding furin-inhibitors became of high interest in cancer research. In this regard, the plant OI with known anticancer activities may provide an important source. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study is to examine and compare anti-tumorigenic activity of furin inhibitory flavonoid compounds from OI. RESULTS: Studies were conducted to evaluate the effect on CT-26 cell proliferation and migration of 4 flavonoids baicalein, chrysin, oroxylin-A and its glycoside isolated from OI. Data revealed that baicalein exhibited most potent inhibitory effect on proliferation and migration on the analyzed tumor cell line. Baicalein at 10 µM completely blocked the proliferation even after 5 days. The results are consistent with the observed in vitro anti-furin activity of baicalein as measured against a fluorogenic peptide and pro-hVEGF-C as substrates. Mature VEGF-C is a strong indicator and biomarker of tumor progression and therefore the antifurin activity may explain the observed anticancer properties of baicalein. Since baicalein is the major constituent of OI, our data provided scientific rationale for the observed anticancer activity of OI and also offered a new lead molecule for future exploration as potential antitumor agents.

Regulation of prohepcidin processing and activity by the subtilisin-like proprotein convertases Furin, PC5, PACE4 and PC7.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Hepcidin is an iron homoeostasis regulator peptide. Loss-of-function mutations cause juvenile haemochromatosis while its over-expression results in anaemia. However, the mechanism and function of preprohepcidin conversion to mature hepcidins (25, 22 and 20 amino acid C-terminal peptides) are not well known. After removal of the signal peptide, the first proteolytic cleavage occurs within the basic motif RRRRR(59)DT, suggesting the involvement of proprotein convertase (PC) family members in this process. METHODS AND RESULTS: Using cell transfection experiments, the processing of preprohepcidin in the human hepatocyte line Huh-7 was found to be inhibited by the Furin inhibitors serpin alpha1-antitrypsin (alpha1-PDX) and prosegment preproFurin (ppFurin). Site-directed mutagenesis analysis confirmed the RRRRR(59)DT preprohepcidin cleavage site. In parallel, the lack of preprohepcidin processing found in the PC activity-deficient cell line LoVo was restored by the expression of Furin, paired basic amino acid cleaving enzyme 4 (PACE4), PC5 or PC7. This finding is consistent with the in vitro digestions of a synthetic peptide mimicking the cleavage site of preprohepcidin. In addition, during mouse embryonic development the major expression of hepcidin found in the liver coincided with that of Furin. While hepcidin induces the degradation of the iron transporter ferroportin, its RRRRR(59) to SSSSS(59) mutant is not active. CONCLUSIONS: These results demonstrate the key role of the convertases Furin, PACE4, PC5 and/or PC7 in the generation and secretion of active hepcidin and suggest that the control of hepcidin processing as a potential therapeutic/diagnostic strategy in hepcidin-related disorders such as haemochromatosis, inflammatory diseases, anaemia and cancer.

Insulin-like growth factor binding protein-4 proteolytic degradation in ovine preovulatory follicles: studies of underlying mechanisms.

The regulation of insulin-like growth factor binding protein (IGFBP)-4 proteolytic degradation by insulin-like growth factors (IGFs) has been largely studied in vitro, but not in vivo. The aim of this study was to investigate the involvement of IGFs, IGFBP-2, IGFBP-3, and IGFBP-3 proteolytic fragments in the regulation of IGFBP-4 proteolytic activity in ovine ovarian follicles. Follicular fluid from preovulatory follicles contains proteolytic activity degrading exogenous IGFBP-4. The addition of an excess of IGF-I enhanced IGFBP-4 proteolytic degradation, whereas addition of IGFBP-2 or -3 or monoclonal antibodies against IGF-I and -II dose dependently inhibited IGFBP-4 proteolytic degradation. IGF-I and IGF-II, but not LongR3-IGF-I, reversed this inhibition in a dose-dependent manner. C-terminal, but not N-terminal, proteolytic fragments derived from IGFBP-3 (aa 161-264), as well as heparin-binding domain-containing peptides derived from the C-terminal domain of IGFBP-3 and -5 also induced the inhibition of IGFBP-4 proteolytic degradation. Other heparin-binding domain-containing peptides derived from the connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) and from proteins not related to IGFBP, heparan/heparin interacting protein (HIP) and vitronectin, but not from p36 subunit of annexin II tetramer, inhibited IGFBP-4 degradation. Furthermore, IGFBP-3, mutated on its heparin-binding domain, was not able to inhibit IGFBP-4 proteolytic degradation. So, in ovine preovulatory follicles, IGFBP-4 proteolytic degradation both 1) depends on IGFs, and 2) is inhibited by IGFBP-3 via its C-terminal heparin-binding domain as well as by heparin-binding domain containing peptides. These data suggest that in early atretic follicles, the increase in IGFBP-2 participates in the decrease in IGFBP-4 degradation. In late atretic follicles, the increase in the levels of C-terminal IGFBP-3 proteolytic fragments, generated by IGFBP-3 degradation, as well as the increase in IGFBP-5 expression would strengthen the inhibition of IGFBP-4 degradation. This inhibition might be partly mediated by direct interaction of IGFBP-4 proteinase(s) and heparin-binding domain within the C-terminal region from IGFBP-3 and -5.

Prostate carcinoma (PC-3) cell proliferation is stimulated by the 22-25-kDa proteolytic fragment (1-160) and inhibited by the 16-kDa fragment (1-95) of recombinant human insulin-like growth factor binding protein-3.

In a previous study, the biphasic effect of increasing dosages of recombinant human insulin-like growth factor binding protein-3 (rhIGFBP-3) on proliferation in the prostate carcinoma PC-3 cell line (stimulation followed by depression) was shown to reflect changes in the bioavailability of IGF-II secreted by the cells, IGF-II being the major factor responsible for their autocrine growth. These changes depend on the extent of IGFBP-3 proteolysis induced by serine proteases, in particular, plasmin. In order to examine the mechanism of action of IGFBP-3, we investigated the effects of its two major fragments isolated by HPLC following limited proteolysis by plasmin in vitro. The predominant fragment with an apparent molecular mass of 22-25 kDa in SDS-PAGE (under non-reducing conditions) had previously been shown to retain weak affinity for IGFs, whereas the other fragment of 16 kDa lost all such affinity. From their recently determined amino acid sequences, these fragments correspond to the first 160 and 95 residues, respectively, of IGFBP-3. 0.5-5 nM intact rhIGFBP-3(1-264), when pre-incubated with 5 nM rhIGF-II, dose-dependently inhibited (up to 100%) its mitogenic effect, via sequestration owing to its strong affinity for IGF-II. The same concentrations of the larger fragment (IGFBP-3(1-160)) elicited only weak inhibition (up to 30%), coherent with its weak affinity. The smaller fragment (IGFBP-3(1-95)) provoked total inhibition despite its lack of affinity for IGFs and therefore by an IGF-independent mechanism. PC-3 cells in serum-free medium were weakly stimulated by 5 nM intact IGFBP-3. This had previously been shown to be related to its proteolysis and the ratio of proteolysed to intact IGFBP-3. At the same concentration, IGFBP-3(1-160) stimulated this proliferation by a factor of 5-7, whereas IGFBP-3(1-95) totally suppressed it. 5 nM IGFBP-3(1-95) inhibited the mitogenic action of 1% fetal calf serum by 80%, but by only 25% in the presence of an antibody blocking the type 1 IGF receptor. Its inhibition is therefore exerted principally, but not exclusively, via the IGF signalling pathway. Our data indicate that the IGFBP-3 fragments composed of residues 1-160 and 1-95 are biologically active on PC-3 cells and that their opposite actions may account for the events observed when IGFBP-3 is proteolysed in the cell environment. These proteolytic fragments may therefore play a role in the development of prostate adenocarcinomas in vivo.

Proteolytic fragments of insulin-like growth factor binding protein-3: N-terminal sequences and relationships between structure and biological activity.

Insulin-like growth factors (IGF-I and IGF-II) in biological fluids bind to high-affinity binding proteins (IGFBP-1 to -6), which transport them and regulate their activities. Limited proteolysis of certain IGFBPs plays a major role in this regulation. IGFBP-3 is proteolysed in vivo and in several cell lines by serine proteases, including plasmin. In earlier studies we reproduced this proteolysis in vitro using recombinant human non-glycosylated IGFBP-3. Two major fragments were obtained, the larger retaining weak affinity for IGF-I and weakly inhibiting IGF I mitogenic effects. The smaller fragment, though lacking affinity for IGFs, is a potent growth inhibitor. These proteolytic fragments were isolated by HPLC and their N-terminal amino acids sequenced. Both major fragments contain the N-terminal region of the intact protein, the larger form corresponding to residues 1-160, and the smaller form, to residues 1-95. Kinetics experiments using the MG-63 osteoblast-like cell line showed that the larger peptide is generated before the smaller peptide, the latter probably being a product of secondary proteolysis of the former. Our data suggest that proteolysis of IGFBP-3 is intimately linked to its biological function. We propose a model for its action at cellular level.

A proteolytic fragment of insulin-like growth factor (IGF) binding protein-3 that fails to bind IGFs inhibits the mitogenic effects of IGF-I and insulin.

Limited proteolysis of insulin-like growth factor binding protein-3 (IGFBP-3) is increasingly becoming recognized as an essential mechanism in the regulation of insulin-like growth factor (IGF) bioavailability, both in the bloodstream and at cellular level. Plasmin generated on contact with various cell types provokes proteolytic cleavages that are similar to those induced in vivo by (as yet unidentified) IGFBP-3 proteases. Experimental conditions were determined to achieve plasmin-induced limited proteolysis of recombinant human nonglycosylated IGFBP-3. Two major fragments of 22/25 kilodaltons (kDa) and one of 16 kDa were identified by Western immunoblotting and isolated by reverse-phase chromatography. The 22/25-kDa fragments correspond to the major approximately 30-kDa glycosylated fragment of IGFBP-3 in serum and the 16-kDa fragment, to one of the same size, that is nonglycosylated. Western ligand blot analysis, affinity cross-linking, and competitive binding experiments using radiolabeled IGF and unlabeled IGF-I or -II showed that in the high performance liquid chromatography eluate containing the 16-kDa fragment, all affinity for IGFs had been lost, whereas the affinity of the 22/25-kDa fragments was considerably reduced. Scatchard analysis of the data indicated a 20-fold loss of affinity for IGF-II and an 50-fold loss for IGF-I compared with that of recombinant human IGFBP-3. In a chick embryo fibroblast assay in which DNA synthesis was stimulated both by IGF-I and by insulin (at 100-fold concentrations, so that interaction with the Type 1 IGF receptor would occur), IGFBP-3 was found to inhibit IGF-I-induced stimulation almost totally. It had no effect on stimulation by insulin, which has no affinity for the IGFBPs. With the 22/25-kDa fragments, barely 50% inhibition of IGF-I stimulation was achieved and no inhibition of insulin stimulation. Unexpectedly, with the fraction containing the 16-kDa fragment (despite the total lack of affinity for IGF-I), IGF-I-induced stimulation was inhibited to nearly the same extent as with intact IGFBP-3. In addition, insulin-induced stimulation was inhibited with similar potency. IGFBP-3 proteolysis therefore generates two types of fragment with different activities. One has weak affinity for IGF-I and is only a weak antagonist of IGF action. The other lacks affinity for the IGFs, but nevertheless inhibits IGF-stimulated mitogenesis, thus acting by a mechanism that is independent of the IGFs.

Isolation and characterization of proteolytic fragments of insulin-like growth factor-binding protein-3.

Limited proteolysis of insulin-like growth factor-binding protein-3 (IGFBP-3) is a normal process in the regulation of insulin-like growth factor (IGF) activity, which we have reproduced in vitro using plasmin and recombinant human non-glycosylated IGFBP-3 in order to isolate and characterize the fragments obtained. Two major fragments of 22-25 and 16 kD were purified by RP-HPLC. The 22- to 25-kD fragment had severely reduced affinity for IGF-I, compared with intact IGFBP-3. It weakly inhibited cell proliferation stimulated by IGF-I and had no effect on insulin-induced stimulation. The 16-kD fragment, which had lost all affinity for IGFs, unexpectedly proved to be a potent inhibitor of both IGF-I-induced and insulin-induced cell growth. This proteolytic fragment of IGFBP-3 therefore exhibits intrinsic inhibitory activity.

A proteolytic fragment of insulin-like growth factor (IGF) binding protein-3 that fails to bind IGF is a cell growth inhibitor.

Limited proteolysis of insulin-like growth factor binding protein-3 (IGFBP-3) is now recognized as a normal process in the regulation of insulin-like growth factor (IGF) activity, its major effect being to increase IGF bioavialability. In order to characterize the proteolytic fragments of IGFBP-3, we reproduced this proteolysis in vitro using plasmin which provokes cleavages that are similar to those induced in vivo by (unidentified) specific IGFBP-3 proteases. Two major peaks were purified by RP-HPLC. One contained a 16 kDa fragment and the other comprised two fragments of 22 and 25 kDa. Competitive binding experiments showed that the 16 kDa material had no affinity for IGFs. The 22-25 kDa fragments had considerably reduced affinity, particularly for IGF-I. In a chick embryo fibroblast assay where DNA synthesis was stimulated by IGF-I or insulin, the 22-25 kDa fragments weakly inhibited IGF-I-induced cell proliferation and had no effect on stimulation by insulin. The 16 kDa fragment unexpectedly proved to be a potent inhibitor of both IGF- and insulin-induced cell growth. This proteolytic fragment of IGFBP-3 therefore exhibits intrinsic inhibitory activity.

Interactions between insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) and the system of plasminogen activators and their inhibitors in the control of IGF-binding protein-3 production and proteolysis in human osteosarcoma cells.

Limited proteolysis in vivo of insulin-like growth factor-binding protein-3 (IGFBP-3) by as yet unidentified serine proteases plays a key role in controlling the bioavailability of IGFBP-3-associated insulin-like growth factors (IGFs). Both the IGF system and the system of plasminogen activators (PAs) and their inhibitors (PAIs) are involved in bone remodeling, and plasmin has been shown to provoke dissociation of IGFBP-IGF complexes in cultured MG-63 human osteoblasts. The aim of this work was to investigate interactions between IGF-I and the PA/PAI system and their influence on IGFBP-3 production and proteolysis in this cell model. At confluency, MG-63 cells maintained for 3 days in serum-free medium constitutively secreted IGFBP-2 and small amounts of IGFBP-3 and IGFBP-4. As shown by Western ligand and immunoblot analyses of the culture medium and Northern blot analysis of IGFBP-3 messenger RNA, production of these IGFBPs, and of IGFBP-3 in particular, was dose dependently stimulated by the addition of 12.5-100 ng/ml recombinant human (rh) IGF-I. Increasing concentrations of plasminogen (0.05-3.5 micrograms/ml) added during the final 12 h of culture reduced the amounts of IGFBP detectable by Western ligand blotting, especially IGFBP-3. This reduction reflected proteolysis, as shown by immunoblotting, which revealed 30-, 20-, and 16-kilodalton fragments of IGFBP-3. In the presence of 25 ng/ml IGF-I, which stimulated IGFBP-3 production, proteolysis was reduced by approximately half. Incubation of glycosylated [125I]rh-IGFBP-3 as substrate in cell-free conditioned medium gave the same results. Addition of 50 ng/ml rhIGF-I to conditioned medium (to promote IGFBP-3-rhIGF-I complex formation) failed to diminish plasmin-induced proteolysis of IGFBP-3. Urokinase PA activity in the conditioned medium decreased significantly when the cells were cultured with rhIGF-I, indicating a direct action of IGF-I on urokinase PA and/or PAI production. Our results support the notion of a regulation loop whereby IGF-I controls its own bioavailability via its action on both IGFBP-3 production and the PA/PAI system, which regulates IGFBP-3 proteolysis. The proteolytic cleavages of IGFBP-3 caused by plasmin were the same as those caused in vivo by serine protease acting on this IGFBP.

Protease-induced alteration of insulin-like growth factor binding protein-3 as detected by radioimmunoassay. Agreement with ligand blotting data.

Structural alteration of insulin-like growth factor binding protein-3 (IGFBP-3) resulting from limited proteolysis by one or more serine proteases in vivo was first described in the serum of pregnant women and in certain pathological conditions. Western immunoblotting has since been employed to detect the phenomenon in normal serum, using a polyclonal antibody raised against recombinant human IGFBP-3 and a highly sensitive technique of visualization by chemiluminescence. The major proteolytic fragment of 30 kDa, which fails to be detected in native serum by ligand blotting owing to its weak affinity for IGFs, has proved clearly visible in all serum samples tested, sometimes accompanied by smaller fragments of 20 and 16 kDa. Among the serum samples analysed, increasing proportions of proteolysed IGFBP-3 were found in the following order: acromegalic patients, normal subjects, GH-deficient patients, pregnant women. In RIAs done with the same antibody, many of the serum samples yielded dose-response curves which were not parallel with standard curves, with lower gradients. In the samples where measurements were possible, apparent IGFBP-3 levels proved lower in pregnant women (2.28 +/- 0.23 mg/l, mean +/- SEM) than in normal adults (4.26 +/- 0.33 mg/l, P < 0.001). These observations, which contradict earlier reports of higher levels in pregnant women, suggest that the 30 kDa proteolytic fragment has a weaker affinity for the antibody than the intact IGFBP-3 (which in ligand- and immunoblotting appears as a characteristic 42-39 kDa doublet and which is barely or not detectable in pregnancy serum).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

[Interactions of insulin-like growth factors (IGF) and their binding proteins with the plasminogen/plasmin activator system in cultured osteoblasts]. / Interactions des insulin-like growth factors (IGF) et de leurs protéines de liaison avec le système activateur du plasminogène/plasmine dans les cellules ostéoblastiques en culture.

In biological media, insulin-like growth factors (IGFs) are bound to specific high-affinity binding proteins (IGFBPs). Limited proteolysis of these IGFBPs by serine proteases facilitates dissociation of the IGFs and their access to receptors. Osteoblasts produce IGFs and IGFBPs as well as plasminogen activators and inhibitors, and it has been shown that plasmin may be involved in proteolysis of the IGFBPs. The IGFBPs secreted by the human osteoblast cell line, MG63, were analysed by Western ligand- and immuno-blotting. IGFBP-2, -3 and -4 were found in the conditioned media in the absence of stimulatory factors. When the cells were incubated with IGF-I, IGFBP-3 and -4 concentrations increased, but IGFBP-2 production was much less stimulated. When increasing amounts of plasminogen were added during the final hours of culture, proteolysis of IGFBP-3 and -4 was detected. If the cells had been treated with IGF-I, this was minimal or absent and urokinase activity measured in the conditioned media was decreased. This study reveals a feed-back mechanism by which IGF-I regulates its own bioavailability, acting simultaneously on IGFBP secretion and the proteolytic balance.

Evidence that limited proteolysis of insulin-like growth factor binding protein-3 (IGFBP-3) occurs in the normal state outside of the bloodstream.

In serum and other biological fluids, IGF-I and IGF-II are reversibly bound to six molecular species of specific binding proteins (IGFBP-1 to -6) which regulate their transport to target cells as well as their biological activities. Most of the IGFs in adult serum are bound to IGFBP-3 and associated with a 85 kDa subunit to form 150 kDa ternary complexes, very few of which cross the capillary barrier. In earlier studies we showed that during pregnancy one or more serine proteinases are responsible for limited proteolysis of IGFBP-3 in the serum. This may result in easier dissociation of the IGFs and hence an increase in their availability. In the present work, the results of Western blot analyses of the IGFBPs, using either labelled IGF or a polyclonal anti-IGFBP-3 antibody, have demonstrated that IGFBP-3 proteolysis occurs in the normal state. In all the adults investigated, serum contained both the 42-39 kDa doublet, characteristic of intact IGFBP-3, and its major degradation fragment of 30 kDa. The fragment was also found in lymph, in addition to smaller fragments of 21.5, 20 and 16 kDa which are the same sizes as those seen in pregnancy serum. Comparisons of lymph (which reflects the interstitium) and serum from the same subjects showed greater proportions of IGFBP-3 proteolysed in lymph than in serum and incubations with [125I]IGFBP-3 showed almost 8-fold higher proteolytic activity in lymph than in serum where it was minimal. These findings suggest that the initial sites of proteolysis are in the tissues. Like that in pregnancy serum, the activity was calcium-dependent and inhibited by aprotinin. The results of this study fit the hypothesis that limited proteolysis of IGFBP-3 may be an essential mechanism in controlling the bioavailability of the IGFs, both at the cellular level and, in the blood, from the 150 kDa complexes which constitute the circulating reserves of IGF.

Affinity labeling of bovine brain protein kinase C by tosyl lysyl chloromethane. A kinetic study.

The kinetics of inactivation of bovine brain protein kinase C (PKC) by N alpha-p-tosyl L-lysyl chloromethane (TosLysCH2Cl) were investigated. In absence of activators PKC gave non-linear semilog inactivation plots. At each reagent concentration a plateau of residual activity was reached after some time; its value was inversely proportional to TosLysCH2Cl concentration but the plateau was not due to inactivator depletion. On the other hand, in the presence of Ca2+, phosphatidylserine and phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate, the activity loss followed saturation kinetics, with k(inact) = 0.6 x 10(-3) s-1 and Kinact = 1.9 mM. The study of protection effects by ATP Mg2+ and histone required the presence of 50% glycerol in the incubation mixtures, otherwise the controls (kinase in the presence of activators and ATP Mg2+ or histone) rapidly lost activity. In the presence of 50% glycerol, the inactivation parameters were somewhat altered (k(inact) = 0.3 x 10(-3) s-1 and K(inact) = 0.2 mM); ATP Mg2+ proved to afford a mixed competitive-non competitive protection effect, while histone protected in a competitive manner with a Kp of 0.06 microgram/ml. In the presence and the absence of glycerol, plots of log k(obs) versus log inactivator concentration yielded straight lines with slopes of 0.7-0.9, indicating that 1 mol of reagent is sufficient for inactivation. The results described in this paper suggest that the reagent TosLysCH2Cl hits the catalytic domain of activated PKC at the active site, which is not available in resting PKC; in non-activated PKC, the labeling site would be different.

Differential isotopic fractionation in benthic foraminifera and paleotemperatures reassessed.

Different species of benthic Foraminifera taken at the same level in an Atlantic core yielded different oxygen isotopic values. It was therefore impossible to deduce paleotemperature values. In addition, pelagic and benthic species showed the same isotopic variations, an indication that pelagic and benthic species reflect only the variation of oxygen-18 composition of the ocean.