Hydroxychloroquine Destabilizes Phospho-S6 in Human Renal Carcinoma Cells.

mTOR inhibitors are used to treat metastatic renal cell cancer (RCC), but most patients eventually become resistant. One possible mechanism for resistance is upregulation of autophagy, a pathway that helps recycle intracellular proteins and promotes cell survival. Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ), a potent autophagy inhibitor used to treat malaria and autoimmune disorders, is currently being studied in the context of cancer treatment. Here, we have investigated the effects of HCQ on three different renal carcinoma derived cell lines. We found that HCQ treatment inhibits RCC cell growth, promotes apoptosis, inhibits mitochondrial oxygen consumption, and increases rates of glycolysis. To understand the molecular mechanism behind these effects, we examined various nodes in the mTOR pathway and compared the effects of HCQ with the effects of the mTOR inhibitor RAD001. A key downstream readout of the pathway, phospho-S6 protein, was inhibited by both HCQ and RAD001. However, the upstream kinase, P70S6K was only inhibited by RAD001 and not HCQ, suggesting that the block by HCQ was downstream of P70S6K. Treatment with the proteasome inhibitor bortezomib restored phospho-S6 levels, suggesting that the reduction of phospho-S6 is caused by increased degradation of phospho-S6, but not total S6. Surprisingly, treatment with other autophagy inhibitors did not exhibit the same effects. Our findings suggest that HCQ causes the down-regulation of phospho-S6 in RCC cell lines via a novel mechanism that is not shared with other autophagy inhibitors.

Serum amino acid levels as a biomarker for renal cell carcinoma.

PURPOSE: Prognosis in renal cell carcinoma is dependent on tumor stage at presentation, with significant differences in survival between early and late stage disease. Currently to our knowledge no screening tests or biomarkers have been identified for the early detection of kidney cancer. Therefore, we investigated whether serum amino acid profiles are a potentially useful biomarker in patients with renal cell carcinoma. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The concentrations of 26 amino acids were determined in serum taken preoperatively from 189 patients with renal cell carcinoma, and from 104 age and sex matched controls. RESULTS: Statistically significant changes were observed in patient levels of 15 amino acids, with 13 being decreased and 2 being increased. A logistic regression model using 8 amino acids including cysteine, ornithine, histidine, leucine, tyrosine, proline, valine and lysine was created to distinguish cases from controls. A receiver operator curve based on this model had an area under the curve of 0.81. This same model also had predictive value in terms of overall survival and tumor recurrence in patients with renal cell carcinoma. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that serum amino acid levels may be useful as a screening tool for the identification of individuals with renal cell carcinoma and the prediction of outcomes.

Methionine-deficient diet induces post-transcriptional downregulation of cystathionine ß-synthase.

OBJECTIVE: Elevated plasma total homocysteine (tHcy) is a risk factor for a variety of human diseases. Homocysteine is formed from methionine and has two primary metabolic fates: remethylation to form methionine or commitment to the transsulfuration pathway by the action of cystathionine ß-synthase (CBS). We have examined the metabolic response in mice of a shift from a methionine-replete to a methionine-free diet. METHODS AND RESULTS: We found that shifting 3-mo-old C57BL6 mice to a methionine-free diet caused a transient increase in tHcy and an increase in the tHcy/methionine ratio. Because CBS is a key regulator of tHcy, we examined CBS protein levels and found that within 3 d on the methionine-deficient diet, animals had a 50% reduction in the levels of liver CBS protein and enzyme activity. Examination of CBS mRNA and studies of transgenic animals that express CBS from a heterologous promoter indicated that this reduction is occurring post-transcriptionally. Loss of CBS protein was unrelated to intracellular levels of S-adenosylmethionine, a known regulator of CBS activity and stability. CONCLUSION: Our results imply that methionine deprivation induces a metabolic state in which methionine is effectively conserved in tissue by shutdown of the transsulfuration pathway by an S-adenosylmethionine-independent mechanism that signals a rapid downregulation of CBS protein.

Mouse models of cystathionine beta-synthase deficiency reveal significant threshold effects of hyperhomocysteinemia.

Untreated cystathionine beta-synthase (CBS) deficiency in humans is characterized by extremely elevated plasma total homocysteine (tHcy>200 microM), with thrombosis as the major cause of morbidity. Treatment with vitamins and diet leads to a dramatic reduction in thrombotic events, even though patients often still have severe elevations in tHcy (>80 microM). To understand the difference between extreme and severe hyperhomocysteinemia, we have examined two mouse models of CBS deficiency: Tg-hCBS Cbs(-/-) mice, with a mean serum tHcy of 169 microM, and Tg-I278T Cbs(-/-) mice, with a mean tHcy of 296 microM. Only Tg-I278T Cbs(-/-) animals exhibited strong biological phenotypes, including facial alopecia, osteoporosis, endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress in the liver and kidney, and a 20% reduction in mean survival time. Metabolic profiling of serum and liver reveals that Tg-I278T Cbs(-/-) mice have significantly elevated levels of free oxidized homocysteine but not protein-bound homocysteine in serum and elevation of all forms of homocysteine and S-adenosylhomocysteine in the liver compared to Tg-hCBS Cbs(-/-) mice. RNA profiling of livers indicate that Tg-I278T Cbs(-/-) and Tg-hCBS Cbs(-/-) mice have unique gene signatures, with minimal overlap. Our results indicate that there is a clear pathogenic threshold effect for tHcy and bring into question the idea that mild elevations in tHcy are directly pathogenic.

Suppression of tumor formation by a cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitor and a peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma agonist in an in vivo mouse model of spontaneous breast cancer.

PURPOSE: Activation of COX-2 and inhibition of PPARgamma have been observed in human and animal models of breast cancer. Both inhibition of COX-2 and activation of PPARgamma can inhibit proliferation of breast cancer cells in vitro. Here, we examine the effects of the COX-2 inhibitor celecoxib and the PPARgamma agonist N-(9-fluorenyl-methyloxycarbonyl)-l-leucine (F-L-Leu) on mouse breast tumor cells in vitro and in vivo. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: We created and characterized a mouse mammary adenocarcinoma cell (MMAC-1) line from C3 (1)-SV40 tumor antigen mice to study COX-2 and PPARgamma expression and response to celecoxib and F-L-Leu in vitro. To study the in vivo effects, C3 (1)-SV40 tumor antigen mice were given either control diet or diets containing three different concentrations of celecoxib and F-L-Leu as well as a combination of both agents. Mice were then followed for tumor formation up to 1 year. RESULTS: MMAC-1 cells express both COX-2 and PPARgamma mRNA and exhibited cooperative growth inhibition with a combination of celecoxib and F-L-Leu. In mice, the median age of death due to mammary tumors was significantly delayed in celecoxib-treated animals at all three concentrations but was not significantly affected by F-L-Leu treatment alone. A combination of celecoxib and F-L-Leu was significantly more effective than celecoxib alone. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that a combination of a COX-2 inhibitor and PPARgamma agonist can delay breast cancer in a mouse model and suggest that these agents should be studied in the context of human populations with high breast cancer risk.

Pas1, a G1 cyclin, regulates amino acid uptake and rescues a delay in G1 arrest in Tsc1 and Tsc2 mutants in Schizosaccharomyces pombe.

Tuberous sclerosis complex is a tumor suppressor syndrome caused by mutations in either the TSC1 or the TSC2 gene. Previous studies have shown that deletion of the TSC1 or TSC2 ortholog in Schizosaccharomyces pombe results in an amino acid uptake defect, with conditional lethality. We identified a G1 cyclin, pas1+, as a high-copy suppressor of this defect in Deltatsc1. Disruption of pas1+ causes defects in arginine and leucine uptake that are remarkably similar to Deltatsc1 and Deltatsc2, whereas Deltapas1Deltatsc1 and Deltapas1Deltatsc2 double mutants have more severe amino acid uptake defects. In a second screen, we identified a novel G63D/S165 N mutant of the small GTPase Rhb1, the target of the Tsc1/Tsc2 protein complex. The Rhb1 mutant suppresses amino acid uptake in Deltatsc1 yeast, but not in Deltapas1 yeast. Hence, Pas1 does not regulate amino acid uptake through Rhb1. To determine whether Pas1 links nutrient availability to cell cycle progression downstream of the Tsc1/Tsc2 complex, we examined the kinetics of G1 arrest in single and double mutant strains. After nitrogen starvation, Deltatsc1 and Deltatsc2 yeast had a delay in G1 arrest when compared with wild-type, which was rescued by deletion of pas1+. In summary, we identified the G1 cyclin, Pas1, as a novel regulator of amino acid uptake. Our data support a model in which Pas1 inhibits G1 arrest downstream of Tsc1 and Tsc2, linking nutrient uptake and cell cycle progression in yeast.