Caveolin-1 Regulates P2Y2 Receptor Signaling during Mechanical Injury in Human 1321N1 Astrocytoma

Caveolae-associated protein caveolin-1 (Cav-1) plays key roles in cellular processes such as mechanosensing, receptor coupling to signaling pathways, cell growth, apoptosis, and cancer. In 1321N1 astrocytoma cells Cav-1 interacts with the P2Y2 receptor (P2Y2R) to modulate its downstream signaling. P2Y2R and its signaling machinery also mediate pro-survival actions after mechanical injury. This study determines if Cav-1 knockdown (KD) affects P2Y2R signaling and its pro-survival actions in the 1321N1 astrocytoma cells mechanical injury model system. KD of Cav-1 decreased its expression in 1321N1 cells devoid of or expressing hHAP2Y2R by ~88% and ~85%, respectively. Cav-1 KD had no significant impact on P2Y2R expression. Post-injury densitometric analysis of pERK1/2 and Akt activities in Cav-1-positive 1321N1 cells (devoid of or expressing a hHAP2Y2R) revealed a P2Y2R-dependent temporal increase in both kinases. These temporal increases in pERK1/2 and pAkt were significantly decreased in Cav-1 KD 1321N1 (devoid of or expressing a hHAP2Y2R). Cav-1 KD led to an ~2.0-fold and ~2.4-fold decrease in the magnitude of the hHAP2Y2R-mediated pERK1/2 and pAkt kinases’ activity, respectively. These early-onset hHAP2Y2R-mediated signaling responses in Cav-1-expressing and Cav-1 KD 1321N1 correlated with changes in cell viability (via a resazurin-based method) and apoptosis (via caspase-9 expression). In Cav-1-positive 1321N1 cells, expression of hHAP2Y2R led to a significant increase in cell viability and decreased apoptotic (caspase-9) activity after mechanical injury. In contrast, hHAP2Y2R-elicited changes in viability and apoptotic (caspase-9) activity were decreased after mechanical injury in Cav-1 KD 1321N1 cells expressing hHAP2Y2R. These findings support the importance of Cav-1 in modulating P2Y2R signaling during mechanical injury and its protective actions in a human astrocytoma cell line, whilst shedding light on potential new venues for brain injury or trauma interventions.

Promotion of astrocytoma cell invasion by micro RNA–22 targeting of tissue inhibitor of matrix metalloproteinase–2

OBJECTIVE Diffuse astrocytomas (DAs) have a high recurrence rate due to diffuse infiltration into the brain and spinal cord. Micro RNAs (miRNAs) are small noncoding RNAs that regulate gene expression by binding to complementary sequences of target messenger RNA (mRNA). It has been reported that miRNA-22 (miR-22) is involved in the invasion of some cancer cell lines. The aim of this study was to identify the biological effects of miR-22 in regard to the invasion of human DAs. METHODS The authors evaluated whether the level of miR-22 is elevated in human spinal DAs by using miRNA chips. Next, the role of miR-22 in 1321N1 human astrocytoma cells was investigated. Finally, to elucidate whether miR-22 promotes invasion by astrocytoma cells in vivo, the authors transplanted miR-22 overexpressed astrocytoma cells into mouse thoracic spinal cord. RESULTS The miR-22 significantly upregulated the invasion capacity of 1321N1 cells. Computational in silico analysis predicted that tissue inhibitor of matrix metalloproteinase–2 (TIMP2) is a target gene of miR-22. This was confirmed by quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction and Western blotting, which showed that miR-22 inhibited TIMP2 mRNA and protein expression, respectively. Luciferase reporter assays demonstrated that miR-22 directly bound the 3′-untranslated regions of TIMP2. The authors further showed that miR-22 promoted invasiveness in 1321N1 astrocytoma cells when transplanted into mouse spinal cord. CONCLUSIONS These data suggest that miR-22 acts to regulate invasion of 1321N1 astrocytoma cells by targeting TIMP2 expression. Additional studies with more cases and cell lines are required to elucidate the findings of this study for a novel treatment target for spinal DAs.

Intramolecular Diels-Alder Cycloaddition: 7-Isocyanoamphilecta- 11(20),15-diene (Miyaoka), (–)-Scabronine G (Kanoh), Basiliolide B (Stoltz), Hirsutellone B (Uchiro), Echinopine A (Chen)

The amphilectane diterpenes, exemplified by 7-isocyanoamphilecta-11(20),15-diene 3, have been little investigated. In the course of a synthesis of 3, Hiroaki Miyaoka of the Tokyo University of Pharmacy and Life Sciences took advantage (Synlett 2011, 547) of the kinetic enolization and silylation of 1 to convert it into a trienone that spontaneously cyclized to 2. Scabronine G 6, isolated from the mushroom Sarcodon scabrosus, was found to enhance the secretion of neurotrophic factors from 1321N1 astrocytoma cells. To set the absolute configuration of the two quaternary centers that are 1, 4 on the cyclohexane ring of 6, Naoki Kanoh and Yoshiharu Iwabuchi of Tohoku University cyclized (Org. Lett. 2011, 13, 2864) 4 to 5. Although described by the authors as a double Michael addition, this transformation has the same connectivity as an intramolecular Diels-Alder cycloaddition. The diterpenes isolated from the genus Thapsia, represented by basiliolide B 9, induce rapid mobilization of intracellular Ca2+ stores. Brian M. Stoltz of Caltech effected (Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2011, 50, 3688) Claisen rearrangement of 7 to give an intermediate that cyclized to 8 as a mixture of diastereomers. A significant challenge in the synthesis was the assembly of the delicate enol ether/lactone of 9. Hirsutellone B 12, isolated from Hirsutella nivea, shows significant antituberculosis activity. Hiromi Uchiro of the Tokyo University of Science found it useful (Org. Lett. 2011, 13, 6268) to protect the intermediate unsaturated keto ester by intermolecular cycloaddition with pentamethylcyclopentadiene before constructing the triene of 10. Simple thermolysis reversed the intermolecular addition, opening the way to intramolecular cycloaddition to give 11. The tetracyclic ring system of the diterpene echinopine A 15 represents a substantial synthetic challenge. David Y.-K. Chen of Seoul National University approached this problem (Org. Lett. 2011, 13, 5724) by Pd-mediated cyclization of 13 to the diene, which then underwent intramolecular Diels-Alder cycloaddition to give 14, with control of the relative configuration of two of the three ternary centers of 15. Double bond migration followed by oxidative cleavage of the resulting cyclohexenone then set the stage for the intramolecular cyclopropanation that completed the synthesis of 15.

Paradoxical Role of 3-Methyladenine in Pyocyanin-Induced Toxicity in 1321N1 Astrocytoma and SH-SY5Y Neuroblastoma Cells

The role of autophagy in pyocyanin (PCN)-induced toxicity in the central nervous system (CNS) remains unclear, with only evidence from our group identifying it as a mechanism underlying toxicity in 1321N1 astrocytoma cells. Therefore, the aim of this study was to further examine the role of autophagy in PCN-induced toxicity in the CNS. To achieve this, we exposed 1321N1 astrocytoma and SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cells to PCN (0-100 μmol/L) and tested the contribution of autophagy by measuring the impact of the autophagy inhibitor 3-methyladenine (3-MA) using a series of biochemical and molecular markers. Pretreatment of 1321N1 astrocytoma cells with 3-MA (5 mmol/L) decreased the PCN-induced acidic vesicular organelle and autophagosome formation as measured using acridine orange and green fluorescent protein-LC3 -LC3 fluorescence, respectively. Furthermore, 3-MA (5 mmol/L) significantly protected 1321N1 astrocytoma cells against PCN-induced toxicity. In contrast pretreatment with 3-MA (5 mmol/L) increased PCN-induced toxicity in SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cells. Given the influence of autophagy in inflammatory responses, we investigated whether the observed effects in this study involved inflammatory mediators. The PCN (100 μmol/L) significantly increased the production of interleukin-8 (IL-8), prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), and leukotriene B4 (LTB4) in both cell lines. Consistent with its paradoxical role in modulating PCN-induced toxicity, 3-MA (5 mmol/L) significantly reduced the PCN-induced production of IL-8, PGE2, and LTB4 in 1321N1 astrocytoma cells but augmented their production in SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cells. In conclusion, we show here for the first time the paradoxical role of autophagy in mediating PCN-induced toxicity in 1321N1 astrocytoma and SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cells and provide novel evidence that these actions may be mediated by effects on IL-8, PGE2, and LTB4 production.