scholarly journals SF002-96-1, a new drimane sesquiterpene lactone from an Aspergillus species, inhibits survivin expression

2013 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
pp. 2866-2876 ◽  
Author(s):  
Silke Felix ◽  
Louis P Sandjo ◽  
Till Opatz ◽  
Gerhard Erkel

Survivin, a member of the IAP (inhibitor of apoptosis) gene family, is overexpressed in virtually all human cancers and is functionally involved in the inhibition of apoptosis, regulation of cell proliferation, metastasis and resistance to therapy. Because of its upregulation in malignancy, survivin has currently attracting considerable interest as a new target for anticancer therapy. In a screening of approximately 200 strains of imperfect fungi for the production of inhibitors of survivin promoter activity, a new drimane sesquiterpene lactone, SF002-96-1, was isolated from fermentations of an Aspergillus species. The compound inhibited survivin promoter activity in transiently transfected Colo 320 cells in a dose dependent manner with IC50 values of 3.42 µM (1.3 µg/mL). Moreover, it also reduced mRNA levels and protein synthesis of survivin and triggered apoptosis.

2007 ◽  
Vol 85 (3) ◽  
pp. 326-336 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ting Lu ◽  
Yamini Achari ◽  
Jerome B. Rattner ◽  
David A. Hart

Degradation of articular cartilage is characteristic of osteoarthritis, and matrix metalloproteinase-13 (MMP-13) has been implicated in this condition. Estrogen receptors (ERs) are present in connective tissues, indicating these tissues' potential responsiveness to estrogen. We based this study on the hypothesis that estrogen receptor β (ERβ) can modulate MMP-13 promoter activity. Transfection of cells with ERβ constructs led to the induction of the endogenous MMP-13 gene, as evidenced by increased mRNA levels. The results also indicated that MMP-13 promoter construct activity in the HIG-82 cell line significantly increased when ERβ was present, and that estrogen downregulated this response in a dose-dependent manner. ERβ was shown to enhance MMP-13 expression somewhat more strongly than ERα, and the impact of a number of selective ER modulators (tamoxifen, raloxifene, and ICI 182,780) on ERβ enhancement of promoter activity was found to be significantly less than that of estrogen. Furthermore, transcription regulatory sites in the MMP-13 promoter, specifically AP-1 and PEA-3, were shown to act in conjunction to mediate ERβ effects. Thus, ERβ likely influences MMP-13 promoter expression in normal and disease processes.


Endocrinology ◽  
2004 ◽  
Vol 145 (12) ◽  
pp. 5525-5531 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gary M. Leong ◽  
Sofia Moverare ◽  
Jesena Brce ◽  
Nathan Doyle ◽  
Klara Sjögren ◽  
...  

Abstract Suppressors of cytokine signaling (SOCS) are important negative regulators of cytokine action. We recently reported that estrogen stimulates SOCS-2 expression and inhibits GH signaling in kidney cells. The effects of estrogen on SOCS expression in other tissues are unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate in vivo and in vitro whether estrogen affected SOCS expression in the liver, a major target organ of GH. The in vivo hepatic effects of estrogen on ovariectomized mice lacking estrogen receptor (ER)-α, ERβ, or both and their wild-type littermates were examined by DNA microarray analysis. In vitro, the effects of estrogen on SOCS expression in human hepatoma cells were examined by reverse transcription quantitative PCR. Long-term (3 wk) estrogen treatment induced a 2- to 3-fold increase in hepatic expression of SOCS-2 and -3 in wild-type and ERβ knockout mice but not in those lacking ERα or both ER subtypes. Short-term treatment (at 24 h) increased the mRNA level of SOCS-3 but not SOCS-2. In cultured hepatoma cells, estrogen increased SOCS-2 and -3 mRNA levels by 2-fold in a time- and dose-dependent manner (P < 0.05). Estrogen induced murine SOCS-3 promoter activity by 2-fold (P < 0.05) in constructs containing a region between nucleotides −1862 and −855. Moreover, estrogen and GH had additive effects on the SOCS-3 promoter activity. In summary, estrogen, via ERα, up-regulated hepatic expression of SOCS-2 and -3, probably through transcriptional activation. This indicates a novel mechanism of estrogen regulation of cytokine action.


2011 ◽  
Vol 39 (06) ◽  
pp. 1253-1260 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sang Mi Han ◽  
Joo Hong Yeo ◽  
Yoon Hee Cho ◽  
Sok Cheon Pak

For cosmetic reasons, the demand for effective and safe skin-whitening agents is high. Since the key enzyme in the melanin synthetic pathway is tyrosinase, many depigmenting agents in the treatment of hyperpigmentation act as tyrosinase inhibitors. In this study, we have investigated the hypo-pigmentary mechanism of royal jelly in a mouse melanocyte cell line, B16F1. Treatment of B16F1 cells with royal jelly markedly inhibited melanin biosynthesis in a dose-dependent manner. Decreased melanin content occurred through the decrease of tyrosinase activity. The mRNA levels of tyrosinase were also reduced by royal jelly. These results suggest that royal jelly reduces melanin synthesis by down-regulation of tyrosinase mRNA transcription and serves as a new candidate in the design of new skin-whitening or therapeutic agents.


1999 ◽  
Vol 340 (1) ◽  
pp. 69-76 ◽  
Author(s):  
Russell R. HOOVER ◽  
Klaus H. THOMAS ◽  
Joanna FLOROS

Glucocorticoids have complex effects on human surfactant protein (SP) SP-A1 and SP-A2 gene expression that occur at both transcriptional and post-transcriptional levels. In the lung adenocarcinoma cell line NCI-H441, dexamethasone causes a dose-dependent decrease in total SP-A mRNA levels and inhibits SP-A gene transcription. In this study, a deletional analysis of the SP-A1 promoter was performed in order to identify cis-acting elements that mediate dexamethasone responsiveness in NCI-H441 cells. The region -32/+63 relative to the start of SP-A1 transcription mediated both basal promoter activity and dexamethasone repression of transcription. Removal of the region +18/+63 abolished dexamethasone responsiveness, indicating that sequences within this region are necessary for the inhibitory effect. Furthermore, the region -32/+63 formed a sequence-specific DNA-protein complex with NCI-H441 nuclear extract. This DNA-protein complex was induced by dexamethasone exposure and its formation was mediated partially by sequences within the region +26/+63.


2009 ◽  
Vol 83 (14) ◽  
pp. 7129-7141 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jie Lu ◽  
Subhash C. Verma ◽  
Masanao Murakami ◽  
Qiliang Cai ◽  
Pankaj Kumar ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Survivin is a master regulator of cell proliferation and cell viability and is highly expressed in most human tumors. The molecular network linked to survivin expression in tumors has not been completely elucidated. In this study, we show that latency-associated nuclear antigen (LANA), a multifunctional protein of Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) that is found in Kaposi's sarcoma tumors, upregulates survivin expression and increases the proliferation of KSHV-infected B cells. Analysis of pathway-specific gene arrays showed that survivin expression was highly upregulated in BJAB cells expressing LANA. The mRNA levels of survivin were also upregulated in HEK 293 and BJAB cells expressing LANA. Similarly, protein levels of survivin were significantly higher in LANA-expressing, as well as KSHV-infected, cells. Survivin promoter activity assays identified GC/Sp1 and p53 cis-acting elements within the core promoter region as being important for LANA activity. Gel mobility shift assays revealed that LANA forms a complex with Sp1 or Sp1-like proteins bound to the GC/Sp1 box of the survivin promoter. In addition, a LANA/p53 complex bound to the p53 cis-acting element within the survivin promoter, indicating that upregulation of survivin expression can also occur through suppression of p53 function. Furthermore, immunohistochemistry analyses revealed that survivin expression was upregulated in KSHV-associated Kaposi's sarcoma tissue, suggesting that LANA plays an important role in the upregulation of survivin expression in KSHV-infected endothelial cells. Knockdown of survivin expression by lentivirus-delivered small hairpin RNA resulted in loss of cell proliferation in KSHV-infected cells. Therefore, upregulation of survivin expression in KSHV-associated human cells contributes to their proliferation.


2012 ◽  
Vol 32 (suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Liang Hu ◽  
Michael A Nardi ◽  
Michael Merolla ◽  
Yajaira Suarez ◽  
Jeffrey Berger

Arachidonic acid (AA) is converted to thromboxane A2 via the cyclooxygenase pathway; however its exact mechanism of platelet activation is uncertain. Inhibition of this pathway via aspirin highlights the importance of this pathway in decreasing thrombotic events. In the present study, we investigate the effect of AA on platelet activity indicators (leukocyte- and monocyte-platelet aggregation [LPA, MPA] and reticulated platelets [RP]), as well as the expression (mRNA and protein) of platelet markers PF4 and Par-1, previously well established platelet transcripts with quantitative determinations. To this end, whole blood was incubated with AA (150mM) for 30 min at room temperature in the absence or presence of aspirin (1mM) prior to addition of antibodies for platelet activity indicators, and isolating platelets for mRNA and protein expression. LPA and MPA were significantly increased after AA stimulation in a dose dependent manner, and were inhibited by aspirin treatment. AA significantly increased PF4 and Par-1 protein level as determined by flow cytometry and western blot assays. Pretreatment with aspirin also attenuated this increase in protein levels. Surprisingly, AA stimulation significantly increased thiazole orange staining (a measure of nucleic acids), another marker of increased platelet activity. Importantly, these results suggest that AA-mediated platelet activation produced an overall increase in platelet total RNA content. To confirm these findings, we analyzed the mRNA expression of PF4 and Par-1 by quantitative real time PCR from platelets treated with AA. Interestingly, AA significantly up-regulated the platelet mRNA transcripts of PF4 and Par-1 by 40% to 60%, and pretreatment with aspirin completely attenuated this effect supporting the specificity of the AA effect on platelet RNA. Altogether, these data suggest that platelet mRNA is affected by AA stimulation, which is attenuated by pretreatment with aspirin. However, the mechanisms responsible for the increased mRNA levels and expression of PF4 and Par-1 (processing of pre-RNA to mRNA) require further investigation. Importantly, our findings provide novel insight regarding platelet activation and a better understanding of mediators in the processes of thrombosis and hemostasis.


1996 ◽  
Vol 270 (5) ◽  
pp. E873-E881 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. S. Kansara ◽  
A. K. Mehra ◽  
J. Von Hagen ◽  
E. Kabotyansky ◽  
P. J. Smith

Acyl-CoAsynthetase (ACS) is a key gene for cellular utilization of long-chain fatty acids. We characterized its regulation by physiological concentrations of insulin that acutely regulate metabolism. Our results demonstrate that subnanomolar insulin rapidly and maximally stimulates ACS gene transcription in the absence of protein synthesis; 0.5 nM insulin produced a 2.3 +/- 0.1-fold increase in ACS mRNA levels and induced ACS gene transcription 2.4 +/- 0.3-fold. The insulin sensitivity of ACS was compared with lipoprotein lipase (LPL) and stearoyl-CoA desaturase-1 (SCD-1), which were both less sensitive to insulin. Physiological triiodothyronine (10 nm) also induced ACS mRNA 2.4 +/- 0.1-fold and gene transcription 2.8 +/- 0.3-fold and coordinately induced LPL and SCD-1 mRNA and gene transcription. Because insulin and adenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate often regulate genes involved in lipid and carbohydrate metabolism in a reciprocal manner, we evaluated effects of 1-methyl-3-isobutylxanthine (MIX).ACS mRNA levels were strongly downregulated by MIX in a dose-dependent manner, and ACS gene transcription inhibited in a coordinate manner with LPL and SCD-1. These data demonstrate a uniquely sensitive pattern of stimulation of ACS gene transcription by insulin with reciprocal regulation by MIX, and they suggest a significant role for ACS as a tightly regulated “gatekeeper” gene participating in the control of adipocyte metabolism.


Endocrinology ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 153 (10) ◽  
pp. 4894-4904 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. Grachev ◽  
X. F. Li ◽  
J. S. Kinsey-Jones ◽  
A. L. di Domenico ◽  
R. P. Millar ◽  
...  

Abstract Neurokinin B (NKB) and its receptor (NK3R) are coexpressed with kisspeptin, Dynorphin A (Dyn), and their receptors [G-protein-coupled receptor-54 (GPR54)] and κ-opioid receptor (KOR), respectively] within kisspeptin/NKB/Dyn (KNDy) neurons in the hypothalamic arcuate nucleus (ARC), the proposed site of the GnRH pulse generator. Much previous research has employed intracerebroventricular (icv) administration of KNDy agonists and antagonists to address the functions of KNDy neurons. We performed a series of in vivo neuropharmacological experiments aiming to determine the role of NKB/NK3R signaling in modulating the GnRH pulse generator and elucidate the interaction between KNDy neuropeptide signaling systems, targeting our interventions to ARC KNDy neurons. First, we investigated the effect of intra-ARC administration of the selective NK3R agonist, senktide, on pulsatile LH secretion using a frequent automated serial sampling method to obtain blood samples from freely moving ovariectomized 17β-estradiol-replaced rats. Our results show that senktide suppresses LH pulses in a dose-dependent manner. Intra-ARC administration of U50488, a selective KOR agonist, also caused a dose-dependent, albeit more modest, decrease in LH pulse frequency. Thus we tested the hypothesis that Dyn/KOR signaling localized to the ARC mediates the senktide-induced suppression of the LH pulse by profiling pulsatile LH secretion in response to senktide in rats pretreated with nor-binaltorphimine, a selective KOR antagonist. We show that nor-binaltorphimine blocks the senktide-induced suppression of pulsatile LH secretion but does not affect LH pulse frequency per se. In order to address the effects of acute activation of ARC NK3R, we quantified (using quantitative RT-PCR) changes in mRNA levels of KNDy-associated genes in hypothalamic micropunches following intra-ARC administration of senktide. Senktide down-regulated expression of genes encoding GnRH and GPR54 (GNRH1 and Kiss1r, respectively), but did not affect the expression of Kiss1 (which encodes kisspeptin). We conclude that NKB suppresses the GnRH pulse generator in a KOR-dependent fashion and regulates gene expression in GnRH neurons.


2009 ◽  
Vol 27 (15_suppl) ◽  
pp. 3508-3508
Author(s):  
F. A. Eskens ◽  
F. J. Ramos ◽  
H. Burger ◽  
M. J. de Jonge ◽  
J. Wanders ◽  
...  

3508 Background: E7107 is a potent first-in-class inhibitor of the spliceosome, most likely by interacting with spliceosome-associated protein-130 (SAP 130). Splicing removes intron sequences from pre-mRNA and exons are fused resulting in the formation of mature mRNA. Alternative splicing frequently encodes oncoproteins. E7107 interferes the maturation process of pre-mRNA to mRNA, with consequent changes in protein expression profiles. Methods: Objectives of this study were to explore (1) tolerability and safety profile, (2) PK, (3) PD effects on pre-mRNA splicing, and (4) anti tumor activity of E7107 administered as bolus infusion on days 1, 8, 15 of a 28-day schedule Results: 36 patients (21M/15F, median age 61yrs (45–79)) received E7107 doses of 0.6 mg/m2 (n=4), 0.9 mg/m2 (n=3), 1.3 mg/m2 (n=3), 2.0 mg/m2 (n=3), 3.0 mg/m2 (n=4), 4.5 mg/m2 (n=3) and 4.0 mg/m2 (n=16). At 4.5 mg/m2 two episodes of DLT (grade 3 and 4 diarrhea) and at 4.0 mg/m2 one episode of DLT (a combination of grade 3 nausea, vomiting and abdominal cramps) were observed. Other frequently occurring side effects were mainly gastrointestinal. The maximum tolerable dose (MTD) is 4.0 mg/m2. No complete or partial responses were observed. Pharmacokinetic analysis revealed large volume of distribution (Vss: 279 to 1369 L), high systemic clearance (CL: 111 to 253 L/hr), and moderate elimination half-life (t1/2: 5.3 to 15.1 hr). Systemic exposure on Days 1 and 15 (Cmax, AUC0-∞) increased in a dose-dependent manner. At the MTD, mRNA levels of selected target genes (TRAPPC4, SLC25A19, GTF2H1), monitored in PBMC's, showed a 15–25-fold decrease, whereas unspliced pre-mRNA levels of DNAJB1 and EIF4A1 showed a 10–25-fold increase. Notably, at days 1 and 15, modulations generally peaked at 2–6 hr after end of the infusion and almost completely recovered to base-line levels at 24–48 hr. Conclusions: The MTD for E7107 using this schedule is 4.0 mg/m2. PK is dose-dependent and reproducible within subjects. PD analysis revealed dose-dependent reversible inhibition of pre-mRNA processing of target genes, confirming proof-of-principle activity of E7107. [Table: see text]


2012 ◽  
Vol 302 (6) ◽  
pp. G618-G627 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amika Singla ◽  
Anoop Kumar ◽  
Shubha Priyamvada ◽  
Maliha Tahniyath ◽  
Seema Saksena ◽  
...  

DRA (downregulated in adenoma) or SLC26A3 is the major apical anion exchanger mediating Cl− absorption in intestinal epithelial cells. Disturbances in DRA function and expression have been implicated in diarrheal conditions such as congenital chloride diarrhea and inflammatory bowel diseases. Previous studies have shown that DRA is subject to regulation by short-term and transcriptional mechanisms. In this regard, we have recently shown that short-term treatment by lysophosphatidic acid (LPA), an important bioactive phospholipid, stimulates Cl−/HCO3−(OH−) exchange activity via an increase in DRA surface levels in human intestinal epithelial cells. However, the long-term effects of LPA on DRA at the level of gene transcription have not been examined. The present studies were aimed at investigating the effects of LPA on DRA function and expression as well as elucidating the mechanisms underlying its transcriptional regulation. Long-term LPA treatment increased the Cl−/HCO3− exchange activity in Caco-2 cells. LPA treatment (50–100 μM) of Caco-2 cells significantly stimulated DRA mRNA levels and DRA promoter activity (−1183/+114). This increase in DRA promoter activity involved the LPA2 receptor and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/AKT pathways. Progressive deletions from −1183/+114 to −790/+114 abrogated the stimulatory effects of LPA, indicating that the −1183/−790 promoter region harbors LPA response elements. Utilizing EMSA and mutational studies, our results showed that LPA induced the DRA promoter activity in a c-Fos-dependent manner. LPA also increased the protein expression of c-Fos and c-Jun in Caco-2 cells. Furthermore, overexpression of c-Fos but not c-Jun enhanced the DRA promoter activity. This increase in DRA transcription in response to LPA indicates that LPA may act as an antidiarrheal agent and could be exploited for the treatment of diarrhea associated with inflammatory or infectious diseases of the gut.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document