A role for mitogen kinase kinase 3 in pulmonary inflammation validated from a proteomic approach.

Proteomics is a powerful tool to ascertain which proteins are differentially expressed in the context of disease. We have used this approach on inflammatory cells obtained from patients with asthma to ascertain whether novel drugs targets could be illuminated and to investigate the role of any such target in a range of in vitro and in vivo models of inflammation. A proteomic study was undertaken using peripheral blood mononuclear cells from mild asthmatic subjects compared with healthy subjects. The analysis revealed an increased expression of the intracellular kinase, mitogen activated protein kinase (MKK3), and the function of this protein was investigated further in preclinical models of inflammation using MKK3 knockout mice. We describe a 3.65 fold increase in the expression of MKK3 in CD8(+) T lymphocytes obtained from subjects with asthma compared with healthy subjects using a proteomic approach which we have confirmed in CD8(+), but not in CD4(+) T lymphocytes or human bronchial epithelial cells from asthmatic patients using a Western blot technique. In wild type mice, bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS) caused a significant increase in MKK3 expression and significantly reduced airway neutrophilia in MKK3(-/-) mice (median, 25, 75% percentile; wild/LPS; 5.3 (0.7-9.9) × 10(5) cells/mL vs MKK3(-/-)/LPS; 0 (0-1.9) × 10(5) cells/mL, P < 0.05). In contrast, eosinophilia in sensitized wild type mice challenged with allergen (0.5 (0.16-0.65) × 10(5) cells/mL) was significantly increased in MKK3(-/-) mice (2.2 (0.9-3.5) × 10(5) cells/mL, P < 0.05). Our results suggest that asthma is associated with MKK3 over-expression in CD8(+) cells. We have also demonstrated that MKK3 may be critical for airway neutrophilia, but not eosinophilia, suggesting that this may be a target worthy of further consideration in the context of diseases associated with neutrophil activation such as severe asthma and COPD.

Proteomics in neuropsychiatric disorders.

Assessing human cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) provides a practical way to conduct longitudinal molecular analyses of changes during the course of neurological disease. Integrated and parallel analyses of neurotransmitters, neuropeptides and proteins in CSF may reveal better insights into complex interaction of numerous cell types in the central nervous system (CNS) at an unprecedented level of complexity and detail. Intricate molecular fingerprints of CSF proteins may pinpoint multiple underlying pathogenic mechanisms as well as an acute and a chronic CNS disease component. Some of these changes may be mapped to altered protein expression patterns in clinically relevant cell populations with a causative or diagnostic disease link. A CNS proteome database of primary human CNS tissues may avoid ambiguities of experimental models and accelerate pre- and clinical development of more specific diagnostic and prognostic disease markers and new selective therapeutics.

Proteomics in molecular medicine: applications in central nervous systems disorders.

Bodily fluids such as cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and serum can be analysed at the time of presentation and throughout the course of the disease. Changes in the protein composition of CSF may be indicative of altered CNS protein expression pattern with a causative or diagnostic disease link. These findings can be strengthened through subsequent proteomic analysis of specific brain areas implicated in the pathology. New isolation strategies of clinically relevant cellular material such as laser capture microdissection, protein enrichment procedures and proteomic approaches to neuropeptide and neurotransmitter analysis give us the opportunity to map out complex cellular interaction at an unprecedented level of detail. In neurological disorders multiple underlying pathogenic mechanisms as well as an acute and a chronic CNS disease components may require a selective repertoire of molecular targets and biomarkers rather than an individual protein to better define a complex disease. The resulting proteome database bypasses many ambiguities of experimental models and may facilitate pre- and clinical development of more specific disease markers and new selective fast acting therapeutics.

Proteomics: a major new technology for the drug discovery process.

Proteomics is a new enabling technology that is being integrated into the drug discovery process. This will facilitate the systematic analysis of proteins across any biological system or disease, forwarding new targets and information on mode of action, toxicology and surrogate markers. Proteomics is highly complementary to genomic approaches in the drug discovery process and, for the first time, offers scientists the ability to integrate information from the genome, expressed mRNAs, their respective proteins and subcellular localization. It is expected that this will lead to important new insights into disease mechanisms and improved drug discovery strategies to produce novel therapeutics.

A novel, orally administered nucleoside analogue, OGT 719, inhibits the liver invasive growth of a human colorectal tumor, C170HM2.

OGT 719 is a novel p.o. bioavailable nucleoside analogue in which galactose is incorporated onto the fluoropyrimidine moiety of the cytotoxic agent 5-fluorouracil (5-FU). OGT 719 has been designed to reduce the systemic toxicity normally associated with 5-FU while retaining activity against disease localized in the liver, in which it may be preferentially localized through the asialoglycoprotein receptor (ASGP-R). We report studies confirming the activity of OGT 719 in inhibiting growth of metastatic human colorectal tumors in the liver of nude mice. The human colorectal cancer cell line C170HM2 readily forms liver metastases in vivo. Oral administration of 1500 mg/kg/day OGT 719 inhibited liver tumor burden by 95% compared with vehicle control, without any observable signs of toxicity. When the tumor burden was increased and the same OGT 719 treatment was compared with a standard clinical dose regimen of 25 mg/kg/day 5-FU/leucovorin given i.v., both treatments were equally efficacious, although 5-FU/leucovorin treatment started 7 days earlier. In contrast to 5-FU, OGT 719 is p.o. bioavailable and has a plasma half-life between 1.5 and 3 h. Several colorectal cancer cell lines express the asialoglycoprotein receptor, although no significant levels can be detected in C170HM2 cells, consistent with the observation that OGT 719 is approximately 3 log orders of magnitude less potent in vitro than 5-FU. Flux through thymidylate synthase, as measured by 3H release from [3H]dUrd, was inhibited by OGT 719 at 4 h. The notable difference in the potency of OGT 719 efficacy on C170HM2 cells in vitro and in vivo supports our model of liver-specific activation of OGT 719. As our data suggest, OGT 719 may significantly inhibit growth of metastatic colorectal tumors in the liver in vivo. This hypothesis is presently being explored in clinical trials for primary hepatocellular carcinoma and colorectal liver metastases.

Prostate cancer cell growth inhibition by tamoxifen is associated with inhibition of protein kinase C and induction of p21(waf1/cip1).

BACKGROUND: Inhibition of protein kinase C (PKC) and modulation of transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) are both associated with tamoxifen treatment, and both appear to be important in the regulation of prostate cancer cell growth. Investigations were performed which sought to measure the efficacy, and to elucidate the mechanism of growth inhibition by tamoxifen, in hormone-refractory prostate cancer. METHODS: Growth assays were performed on PC3, PC3-M, and DU145 prostate cancer cells. TGF-beta was measured by ELISA; p21(waf1/cip1) and retinoblastoma (Rb) protein levels were measured by Western blot; PKC activity was measured by kinase assay; and effects upon cell cycle were measured by flow cytometric analysis. RESULTS: IC50s for growth inhibition ranged from 5.5-10 microM, and were not affected by estrogen. Tamoxifen-mediated growth inhibition was not associated with induction of TGF-beta. However, tamoxifen treatment was associated with inhibition of PKC, which was followed by induction of p21(waf1/cip1), Rb dephosphorylation, and G1/S phase cell cycle arrest. Similar effects were observed with the known PKC inhibitor, Ro31-8220. CONCLUSIONS: These data suggest that micromolar concentrations of tamoxifen inhibit prostate cancer cell growth by inhibition of PKC, resulting in induction of the p21(waf1/cip1) protein.

Regulation of the MDR1 promoter by cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase and transcription factor Sp1.

The expression of multidrug-resistance (MDR) in breast carcinoma cell line MCF-7/ADR50 is primarily dependent on the transcriptional activation of the MDR1 gene. We now report that MDR in this cell line is partially reversed by the type I cAMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA) inhibitor, 8-Cl-cAMP. MDR1 promoter activity was also regulated through a PKA-dependent pathway and was inhibited by 8-Cl-cAMP, and stimulated by the enantiomeric agonist, SpcAMP[S]. MDR1 promoter activity through an Sp1 response element was stimulated by exogenous Sp1, a factor that we have shown to be activated by PKA. These results indicate that MDR1 promoter activity is linked to the cAMP/PKA signaling pathway, and that PKA antagonists may be useful for reversing the multidrug-resistant phenotype.

Modulation of transcription factor Sp1 by cAMP-dependent protein kinase.

Transcription factor Sp1 is a phosphoprotein whose level and DNA binding activity are markedly increased in doxorubicin-resistant HL-60 (HL-60/AR) leukemia cells. The trans-activating and DNA binding properties of Sp1 in HL-60/AR cells are stimulated by cAMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA) and PKA agonists and inhibited by PKA antagonists as well as by the PKA regulatory subunit. Reporter gene activity under the control of the Sp1-dependent SV40 promoter is stimulated in insect cells transiently expressing Sp1 and PKA, and the DNA binding activity of recombinant Sp1 is activated by exogenous PKA in vitro. These results indicate that Sp1 is a cAMP-responsive transcription factor and that Sp1-dependent genes may be modulated through a cAMP-dependent signaling pathway.

Post-translational modification of proteins and the discovery of new medicine.

Post-translational modifications are fundamental to processes controlling behaviour, including cellular signaling, growth and transformation. As the molecular basis of protein modifications in normal and disease processes are becoming better defined, so new strategies for designing therapeutic entities to control complex disease processes are emerging.

Regulation of multidrug resistance through the cAMP and EGF signalling pathways.

The development of cross-resistance to many natural product anticancer drugs, termed multidrug resistance (MDR), is a serious limitation to cancer chemotherapy. MDR is often associated with overexpression of the MDR1 gene product, P-glycoprotein, a multifunctional drug transporter. Understanding the mechanisms that regulate the transcriptional activation of MDR1 may afford a means of reducing or eliminating MDR. We have found that MDR1 expression can be modulated by type I cAMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA). This suggests that MDR may be modulated by selectively downregulating PKA activity to effect inhibition of PKA-dependent trans-activating factors which may be involved in MDR1 transcription. High levels of type I PKA occur in primary breast carcinomas and patients exhibiting this phenotype show decreased survival. The selective type I PKA inhibitors, 8-Cl-cAMP and Rp8-Cl-cAMP[S], may be particularly useful for downregulating PKA, and inhibit transient expression of a reporter gene under the control of MDR1 promoter elements. Thus, investigations of the signalling pathways involved in transcriptional regulation of MDR1 may lead to a greater understanding of the mechanisms governing the expression of MDR and provide a focus for pharmacological intervention.

Retroviral vector-mediated overexpression of the RII beta subunit of the cAMP-dependent protein kinase induces differentiation in human leukemia cells and reverts the transformed phenotype of mouse fibroblasts.

We have recently shown, using antisense strategy, that the RII beta regulatory subunit of cAMP-dependent protein kinase is essential for cAMP-induced growth inhibition and differentiation of HL-60 human leukemia cells. We constructed a retroviral vector for RII beta (MT-RII beta) by inserting human RII beta complementary DNA into the OT1521 retroviral vector plasmid that contains an internal mouse metallothionein-1 promoter and a neomycin resistance gene. The PA317 packaging cell line was then transfected with MT-RII beta plasmid to produce the amphotrophic stock of MT-RII beta retroviral vector. The infection with MT-RII beta and treatment with CdCl2 brought about growth arrest in HL-60 human leukemia and Ki-ras-transformed NIH 3T3 clone DT cells in monolayer culture with no sign of toxicity. The growth inhibition correlated with the expression of RII beta and accompanied changes in cell morphology; cells became flat, exhibiting enlarged cytoplasm. The growth of these cells in semisolid medium (anchorage-independent growth) was almost completely suppressed. In contrast, overexpression of the RI alpha subunit of protein kinase enhanced the cell proliferation in DT cells. The MT-RII beta-infected cells exhibited an increased sensitivity toward treatment with cAMP analogues, such as 8-Cl-cAMP and N6-benzyl-cAMP, as compared with the parental noninfected cells. In MT-RII beta HL-60 cells, N6-benzyl-cAMP treatment greatly enhanced the expression of monocytic surface markers. These results suggest that the RII beta cAMP receptor, by binding to its ligand, cAMP, acts as a tumor suppressor protein exerting growth inhibition, differentiation, and reverse transformation.

Transcriptional regulation of multidrug resistance in breast cancer.

The development of cross-resistance to many natural product anticancer drugs, termed multidrug resistance (MDR), is one of the major reasons why cancer chemotherapy ultimately fails. This type of MDR is often associated with over-expression of the MDR1 gene product, P-glycoprotein (Pgp), a multifunctional drug transporter. The expression of MDR in breast tumors is related to their origination from a tissue that constitutively expresses Pgp as well as to the development of resistance during successive courses of chemotherapy. Therefore, understanding the mechanisms that regulate the transcriptional activation of MDR1 may afford a means of reducing or eliminating MDR. We have found that MDR1 expression can be modulated by type I cAMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA), opening up the possibility of modulating MDR by selectively down-regulating the activity of PKA-dependent transcription factors which upregulate MDR1 expression. High levels of type I PKA occurs in primary breast carcinomas and patients exhibiting this phenotype show decreased survival. The selective type I cAMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA) inhibitors, 8-Cl-cAMP and Rp8-Cl-cAMP[S] may be particularly useful for downregulating PKA-dependent MDR-associated transcription factors, and we have found these compounds to downregulate transient expression of a reporter gene under the control of several MDR1 promoter elements. Thus, investigations of this nature should not only lead to a greater understanding of the mechanisms governing the expression of MDR, but also provide a focus for pharmacologic intervention by a new class of inhibitors.

8-Cl-cAMP induces truncation and down-regulation of the RI alpha subunit and up-regulation of the RII beta subunit of cAMP-dependent protein kinase leading to type II holoenzyme-dependent growth inhibition and differentiation of HL-60 leukemia cells.

8-Cl-cAMP, a site-selective cAMP analog, induces growth inhibition in a variety of cell types of human cancer cell lines. This inhibitory effect of 8-Cl-cAMP was related to its ability to differentially regulate type I versus type II cAMP-dependent protein kinase. In the present study we demonstrated a unique mechanism of action of 8-Cl-cAMP in the regulation of these kinase isozymes in HL-60 human promyelocytic leukemia cells. High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) resolved various isoforms of protein kinase present in HL-60 cells. In control cells, type I protein kinase (PKI) comprised more than 90% and type II protein kinase (PKII) less than 10% of the total cAMP-stimulated kinase activity. Treatment with 8-Cl-cAMP (5 microM, 72 h) decreased PKI to a level below 30% of that in untreated control cells and markedly increased PKII composed of three peaks. Photoaffinity labeling/SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of column fractions identified the molecular species of regulatory (R) subunits present in protein kinases. Control cells contained high levels of the 48-kDa protein (RI) that composed PKI and low levels of the 50-kDa RII associated with PKII. 8-Cl-cAMP treatment brought about a decrease in the 48-kDa RI along with an increased formation of the truncated 34-kDa RI associated with PKI and an increase in the 50-54-kDa species of RII associated with PKII. A similar protein kinase profile as that shown by 8-Cl-cAMP treatment was observed in cells infected with the human RII beta retroviral vector: the 48-kDa RI of PKI decreased and the 52- and 54-kDa RII associated with PKII increased as compared with uninfected control cells. However, unlike 8-Cl-cAMP treatment, RII beta retroviral vector infection brought about no increase in the 34-kDa-truncated RI but exhibited an increase in the free 48-kDa RI subunit. As the 48-kDa RI and the 50-kDa RII were present in control cells, the enhanced expression of the 52- and 54-kDa RII proteins was due to overexpression of the RII beta gene. We identified the 48-kDa RI as RI alpha, the 50-kDa RII as RII alpha, the 52-kDa RII as RII beta, and the 54-kDa RII as the phosphorylated form of either the RII alpha or RII beta subunit. In vivo labeling experiments using [3H]8-Cl-cAMP demonstrated that 8-Cl-cAMP enters cells and binds to both PKI and PKII.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Reversal of resistance to adriamycin by 8-chloro-cyclic AMP in adriamycin-resistant HL-60 leukemia cells is associated with reduction of type I cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase and cyclic AMP response element-binding protein DNA-binding activities.

8-Chloro-cyclic AMP (8-Cl-cAMP) produces growth-inhibitory and differentiating activity in the promyelocytic leukemia cell line HL-60. Adriamycin (ADR)-resistant HL-60 (HL-60/AR) cells exhibit the multidrug-resistant phenotype but do not express the mdr1 gene product P-glycoprotein. To explore potential signaling processes that may be involved in this atypical form of drug resistance, 8-Cl-cAMP was used as a modulator of the cAMP second messenger signal transduction pathway. Treatment for 48 hr with a 10% inhibitory concentration of 8-Cl-cAMP potentiated ADR cytotoxicity 14-fold in HL-60/AR cells but not in the parental cell line. 8-Cl-cAMP was stable to hydrolysis in the medium after 48 hr and was present intracellularly predominantly as phosphorylated metabolites (70%) and the parent compound (30%). No difference occurred in ADR accumulation in HL-60/AR cells after treatment with 8-Cl-cAMP. Accompanying the 8-Cl-cAMP-mediated increase in ADR cytotoxicity in HL-60/AR cells was a reduction in the cytosolic type I cAMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA) and disappearance of the nuclear PKA holoenzyme. Coincident with these changes in drug-resistant cells was a marked reduction in the DNA-binding activity of the cAMP response element-binding protein to levels equivalent to those in sensitive cells. This effect appears to result from reduced phosphorylation of the cAMP response element-binding protein. These results suggest that the potentiation by 8-Cl-cAMP of ADR cytotoxicity in HL-60/AR cells occurs through down-regulation of nuclear type I PKA and cAMP response element-binding factors whose activities are regulated by PKA.

8-chloroadenosine 3',5'-monophosphate as a novel modulator of multidrug-resistance.

Multidrug resistance (MDR) is a major obstacle in the chemotherapy of cancer. 8-chloroadenosine 3',5'-monophosphate (8-Cl-cAMP), a site-selective analog of cAMP, produced a potent growth inhibition in a spectrum of MDR cell lines. The IC50 (concentration inhibiting 50% of cell proliferation) of 8-Cl-cAMP at 6 days ranged from 0.1 to 3.0 muM in both P-glycoprotein (pgp)-associated and pgp-unassociated MDR cells, and the growth inhibition occurred with continued cell viability. Growth inhibition paralleled down-regulation of RIalpha subunit and catalytic activity of cAMP-dependent protein kinase. 8-Cl-cAMP also provoked the suppression of the promoter activity of the MDR1 gene. These results demonstrate that type I cAMP-dependent protein kinase plays a role in drug resistance and that 8-Cl-cAMP is a novel modulator of multidrug resistance.