Structural basis for Mis18 complex assembly and its implications for centromere maintenance.

The centromere, defined by the enrichment of CENP-A (a Histone H3 variant) containing nucleosomes, is a specialised chromosomal locus that acts as a microtubule attachment site. To preserve centromere identity, CENP-A levels must be maintained through active CENP-A loading during the cell cycle. A central player mediating this process is the Mis18 complex (Mis18α, Mis18ß and Mis18BP1), which recruits the CENP-A-specific chaperone HJURP to centromeres for CENP-A deposition. Here, using a multi-pronged approach, we characterise the structure of the Mis18 complex and show that multiple hetero- and homo-oligomeric interfaces facilitate the hetero-octameric Mis18 complex assembly composed of 4 Mis18α, 2 Mis18ß and 2 Mis18BP1. Evaluation of structure-guided/separation-of-function mutants reveals structural determinants essential for cell cycle controlled Mis18 complex assembly and centromere maintenance. Our results provide new mechanistic insights on centromere maintenance, highlighting that while Mis18α can associate with centromeres and deposit CENP-A independently of Mis18ß, the latter is indispensable for the optimal level of CENP-A loading required for preserving the centromere identity.

ERK mediated upregulation of death receptor 5 overcomes the lack of p53 functionality in the diaminothiazole DAT1 induced apoptosis in colon cancer models: efficiency of DAT1 in Ras-Raf mutated cells.

BACKGROUND: p53 is a tumour suppressor protein that plays a key role in many steps of apoptosis, and malfunctioning of this transcription factor leads to tumorigenesis. Prognosis of many tumours also depends upon the p53 status. Most of the clinically used anticancer compounds activate p53 dependent pathway of apoptosis and hence require p53 for their mechanism of action. Further, Ras/Raf/MEK/ERK axis is an important signaling pathway activated in many cancers. Dependence of diaminothiazoles, compounds that have gained importance recently due to their anticancer and anti angiogenic activities, were tested in cancer models with varying p53 or Ras/Raf mutational status. METHODS: In this study we have used p53 mutated and knock out colon cancer cells and xenograft tumours to study the role of p53 in apoptosis mediated by diaminothiazoles. Colon cancer cell lines with varying mutational status for Ras or Raf were also used. We have also examined the toxicity and in vivo efficacy of a lead diaminothiazole 4-Amino-5-benzoyl-2-(4-methoxy phenylamino)thiazole (DAT1) in colon cancer xenografts. RESULTS: We have found that DAT1 is active in both in vitro and in vivo models with nonfunctional p53. Earlier studies have shown that extrinsic pathway plays major role in DAT1 mediated apoptosis. In this study, we have found that DAT1 is causing p53 independent upregulation of the death receptor 5 by activating the Ras/Raf/MEK/ERK signaling pathway both in wild type and p53 suppressed colon cancer cells. These findings are also confirmed by the in vivo results. Further, DAT1 is more efficient to induce apoptosis in colon cancer cells with mutated Ras or Raf. CONCLUSIONS: Minimal toxicity in both acute and subacute studies along with the in vitro and in vivo efficacy of DAT1 in cancers with both wild type and nonfunctional p53 place it as a highly beneficial candidate for cancer chemotherapy. Besides, efficiency in cancer cells with mutations in the Ras oncoprotein or its downstream kinase Raf raise interest in diaminothiazole class of compounds for further follow-up.

Reversible action of diaminothiazoles in cancer cells is implicated by the induction of a fast conformational change of tubulin and suppression of microtubule dynamics.

Diaminothiazoles are novel cytotoxic compounds that have shown efficacy toward different cancer cell lines. They show potent antimitotic and antiangiogenic activity upon binding to the colchicine-binding site of tubulin. However, the mechanism of action of diaminothiazoles at the molecular level is not known. Here, we show a reversible binding to tubulin with a fast conformational change that allows the lead diaminothiazole DAT1 [4-amino-5-benzoyl-2-(4-methoxy phenyl amino)thiazole] to cause a reversible mitotic block. DAT1 also suppresses microtubule dynamic instability at much lower concentration than its IC(50) value in cancer cells. Both growth and shortening events were reduced by DAT1 in a concentration-dependent way. Colchicine, the long-studied tubulin-binding drug, has previously failed in the treatment of cancer due to its toxicity, even though it generates a strong apoptotic response. The toxicity is attributable to its slow removal from the cell due to irreversible tubulin binding caused by a slow conformational change. DAT1 binds to tubulin at an optimal pH lower than colchicine. Tubulin conformational studies showed that the binding environments of DAT1 and colchicine are different. Molecular dynamic simulations showed a difference in the number of H-bonding interactions that accounts for the different pH optima. This study gives an insight of the action of compounds targeting tubulin's colchicine-binding site, as many such compounds have entered into clinical trials recently.

Upregulation of DR5 receptor by the diaminothiazole DAT1 [4-amino-5-benzoyl-2-(4-methoxy phenyl amino) thiazole] triggers an independent extrinsic pathway of apoptosis in colon cancer cells with compromised pro and antiapoptotic proteins.

Mitochondria mediated signalling is the more common way of apoptosis induction exhibited by many chemotherapeutic agents in cancer cells. Death receptor mediated signalling for apoptosis in many cells also requires further amplification from the mitochondrial pathway activation through tBid. Thus the potential of most chemotherapeutic agents in tumours with intrinsic apoptosis resistance due to changes in molecules involved in the mitochondrial pathway is limited. Diaminothiazoles were shown earlier to bind to tubulin thereby exhibiting cytotoxicity towards different cancer cells. We observed that the lead diaminothiazole, DAT1 [4-amino-5-benzoyl-2-(4-methoxy phenyl amino) thiazole] could induce apoptosis in the colon cancer cell line HCT116 by both pathways. However, in contrast to many other chemotherapeutic agents, DAT1 triggered apoptosis where the intrinsic pathway was blocked by changing the pro and antiapoptotic proteins. An independent extrinsic pathway activation triggered by the upregulation of DR5 receptor accounted for that. The induction of DR5 occurred in the transcriptional level and the essential role of DR5 was confirmed by the fact that siRNA downregulation of DR5 significantly reduced DAT1 induced apoptosis. HCT116 cells were earlier shown to have a type II response for apoptosis induction where extrinsic pathway was connected to the intrinsic pathway via the mediator protein tBid. Our finding thus indicates that the signalling events in the manifestation of apoptosis depend not only on the cancer cell type, but also on the inducer. Our results also place diaminothiazoles in a promising position in the treatment of tumours with compromised apoptotic factors.

Diaminothiazoles inhibit angiogenesis efficiently by suppressing Akt phosphorylation.

The prevention of neovessel formation or angiogenesis is a recent popular strategy for limiting and curing cancer. Diaminothiazoles are a class of compounds that have been reported to show promise in the treatment of cancer by inhibiting cancer cell proliferation and inducing apoptosis, because of their effects on microtubules and as inhibitors of cyclin-dependent kinases. Many microtubule-targeting agents are being studied for their antiangiogenic activity, and a few have shown promising activity in the treatment of cancer. Here, we report that diaminothiazoles can be highly effective as antiangiogenic agents, as observed in the chick membrane assay. The lead compound, 4-amino-5-benzoyl-2-(4-methoxyphenylamino)thiazole (DAT1), inhibits endothelial cell processes such as invasion, migration, and tubule formation, which require a functional cytoskeleton. DAT1 also decreases the expression of cell adhesion markers. The antiangiogenic activities of DAT1 occur at concentrations that are not cytotoxic to the normal endothelium. Analysis of intracellular signaling pathways shows that DAT1 inhibits Akt phosphorylation, which is actively involved in the angiogenic process. The antiangiogenic properties of diaminothiazoles, in addition to their promising antimitotic and cytotoxic properties in cancer cell lines, give them an extra advantage in the treatment of cancer.