topoisomerase-II Inhibitors Research Articles

Cellular pharmacology of azatoxins (topoisomerase‐II and tubulin inhibitors) in P‐glycoprotein‐positive and ‐negative cell lines

Azatoxin (NSC 640737), a synthetic molecule, was rationally designed as a topoisomerase-II inhibitor and was shown to be a potent cytotoxic agent that inhibits both tubulin and topoisomerase II. A structure-activity relationship study allowed to select 3 derivatives that inhibit either tubulin (methylazatoxin) only or topoisomerase II (fluoroanilinoazatoxin and nitroanilino-azatoxin) in MTT assays performed on K562 and K562/ADM cells; the latter, expressing P-glycoprotein, indicated cross-resistance of K562/ADM cells to all 4 compounds. DNA double-strand breaks induced by the 3 azatoxins that inhibit topoisomerase II in vitro were decreased in K562/ADM as compared with K562 cells. Nitroanilino-azatoxin was the only compound for which resistance and reduced DNA damage observed in K562/ADM cells was partially reversed by verapamil, suggesting that nitroanilinoazatoxin was a substrate for P-glycoprotein. These results were confirmed by testing the cytotoxic activity of azatoxins on P-glycoprotein-expressing rat colon-carcinoma DHDK12/TRb cells in the absence and the presence of verapamil. Cell-cycle and mitotic-index studies indicated that azatoxin- and methyl-azatoxin-induced M-phase arrest was less in K562/ADM than in K562 cells. The G2 block induced by fluoro- and nitroanilinoazatoxins was delayed in K562/ADM cells. Verapamil increased cell-cycle inhibition induced by nitroanilinoazatoxin in K562/ADM cells without modifying cell-cycle effects of fluoroanilinoazatoxin. These results (i) are consistent with the specific inhibition of topoisomerase II or tubulin by azatoxin derivatives in cells; (ii) indicate that the nitro group of nitroanilinoazatoxin allows recognition and efflux by the P-glycoprotein; and (iii) suggest that cross-resistance of K562/ADM cells to other azatoxin derivatives is not mediated by P-glycoprotein.

TUMOR-NECROSIS-FACTOR AND DNA TOPOISOMERASE-II INHIBITORS IN HUMAN OVARIAN-CANCER - POTENTIAL ROLE IN CHEMOTHERAPY

Seven ovarian and one cervical human cancer cell lines were examined far their sensitivity or resistance to tumor necrosis factor, to three topoisomerase II inhibitors and to cisplatin. Only one line exhibited the multidrug-resistance phenotype and another one an 'atypical'-MDR phenotype. The combination of TNF and topoisomerase-II inhibitors produced enhanced cytotoxicity and overcame the MDR and the atypical resistance. No potentiation of cisplatin cytotoxicity was observed. These findings suggest that TNF enhances the activity of DNA topoisomerase II both in TNF resistant and sensitive cells.

Circumvention of confluence‐dependent resistance in a human multi‐drug‐resistant colon‐cancer cell line

Colorectal adenocarcinomas are inherently resistant to anthracyclines and other topoisomerase-II inhibitors. Resistance to doxorubicin of colon cancer cells (Caco2) depends on 2 main mechanisms. The first is typical multi-drug resistance, characterized by the mdr1 gene and its product the P170 membrane glycoprotein. P170 effluxes anthracyclines out of cancer cells and is antagonized in vitro by verapamil. The second mechanism, which develops when cell-culture density increases, we have designated confluence-dependent resistance. Confluence-dependent resistance depends on the reduced topoisomerase II content of the G0/G1-phase cells which accumulate in the confluent population. We show here that short treatments of confluent Caco2 cells with slightly toxic concentrations of DNA-damaging agents (cisplatin, melphalan or mitomycin C) produced a transient accumulation of cells in S- and G2/M-phases of the cell cycle. Concomitantly with the increase in the S-phase population, the topoisomerase II cellular level and the sensitivity of cells to doxorubicin were greatly enhanced. Overcoming confluence-dependent resistance through S-phase accumulation and inhibition of multi-drug resistance by verapamil were fully additive, and a nearly complete reversal of confluent Caco2 cells' resistance to doxorubicin was obtained when both strategies were combined.

Caffeine attenuates the action of amsacrine and etoposide in U-937 cells by mechanisms which involve inhibition of RNA synthesis

Pulse treatments of U-937 human promonocytic leukemia cells with the DNA topoisomerase-II inhibitors 4'-(9-acridynilamino)methanesulfon-m-anisidide (amsacrine, mAMSA) or etoposide (VP-16) caused growth inhibition, G2-arrest, increase in cell size and expression of differentiation markers. All these effects were greatly reduced by the presence of 5-10 mM caffeine. In addition, caffeine partially prevented the increase in the number of topoisomerase-DNA cleavable complexes caused by the topoisomerase inhibitors, as determined by SDS/CIK precipitation assays; it caused chromatin condensation, as determined by flow cytometry assays, and interacted with mAMSA in solution, as suggested by spectrophotometric assays. Pulse treatment with caffeine greatly inhibited RNA synthesis but not DNA or protein synthesis, as indicated by labelled precursor incorporation assays. The transcription inhibitor 5,6-dichloro-I-beta-D-ribofuranosylbenzymidazole reduced the mAMSA- and VP-16-produced growth inhibition in a similar manner. It is concluded that RNA synthesis inhibition is one of the possible mechanisms by which caffeine protects cells from the action of topoisomerase-II inhibitors.

Genistein Induces Apoptosis in Immature Human Thymocytes by Inhibiting Topoisomerase-II

The toxicity of genistein, an inhibitor of tyrosine kinases and topoisomerase-II, on human thymocytes was investigated. Genistein induced marked chromatin fragmentation indicative of apoptosis in human thymocyte cultures. Genistein-induced thymocyte apoptosis is unlikely due to an inhibition of basal tyrosine kinase activity, since another tyrosine kinase inhibitor, herbimycin A, does not induce thymocyte apoptosis, whereas other topoisomerase-II inhibitors do. The thymocyte subpopulation most sensitive to genistein-induced apoptosis exhibited a CD3−CD4+CD8+ phenotype. This subpopulation of thymocytes is also sensitive to glucocorticoid-induced apoptosis; however, differences between genistein- and glucocorticoid-induced apoptosis were noted. In particular, unlike glucocorticoid-induced apoptosis, genistein-induced apoptosis does not involve changes in [Ca2+]i and cannot be blocked by activation of protein kinase C.

Popolohuanone E, a topoisomerase-II inhibitor with selective lung tumor cytotoxicity from the Pohnpei sponge Dysidea sp.

An oxidatively-dimerized arenarol derivative, popolohuanone E ( 1), was isolated from a Pohnpei sponge. The compound is a potent inhibitor of topoisomerase-II and shows selective cytoxicity against the A549 non-small cell human lung cancer cell line.

Immunological idenTIFication of human platelet mitochondrial DNA topoisomerase I

Anuclear human blood platelets have been used to study mitochondrial topoisomerase activity in the absence of nuclear contamination. Previous work utilizing this novel system demonstrated that platelet mitochondria contain type-I topoisomerase (Kosovsky, M.J. and Soslau, G. (1991) Biochim. Biophys. Acta 1078, 56–62). The present work has demonstrated that mitochondrial topoisomerase activity was inhibited by the specific topoisomerase-I inhibitor, topotecan, yet was not affected by a specific topoisomerase-II inhibitor, VM-26. These results confirm that platelet mitochondria contain topoisomerase I, yet do not contain a detectable level of topoisomerase-II activity. It has been demonstrated for the first time that antibodies directed against nuclear topo I cross-react with mitochondrial topo I. Furthermore, immunoblot analysis of platelet mitochondrial proteins, in conjunction with renaturation studies, has led to the identification of a catalytically active 60-kDa form of mitochondrial topoisomerase I.

Novel selection and genetic characterisation of an etoposide-resistant human leukaemic CCRF-CEM cell line.

We have studied the genetic alterations acquired during selection of a cloned human leukaemic cell line (CEM/VP-1) that is 15-fold more resistant to the anticancer topoisomerase II-inhibitor etoposide than parental CCRF-CEM cells. CEM/VP-1 cells exhibit an 'atypical MDR' phenotype: cross resistance to other topo II inhibitors (but not Vinca alkaloids) and expression of a drug-resistant topo II activity. Cytogenetic and molecular studies revealed that the cell line carried multiple genetic changes affecting TOP2 genes encoding both topo II alpha and beta isoforms. CEM/VP-1 was diploid, 47,XX,+20, and appears to have been preferentially selected from a 1% diploid subpopulation present in the tetraploid parental cells. The same chromosomal abnormalities were present in resistant and sensitive cells except for an acquired 3p- change most likely deleting one TOP2 beta allele. PCR/DNA sequence analysis and allele-specific hybridisation showed that one of two TOP2 alpha alleles expressed in CEM/VP-1 cells had acquired a Lys-797-->Asn codon change. This mutation lies close to the catalytic Tyr-804 residue of the protein and may interfere with drug-induced trapping of the cleavable complex. Alternatively, it could exert a loss of function phenotype. CEM/VP-1 cells did not exhibit codon 449 or 486 TOP2 alpha mutations in the ATP binding domain reported in two other resistant cell lines. Diploid selection and multiple changes observed in CEM/VP-1 cells appear to be consequences of the recessive phenotype of at-MDR. These results may be useful in approaching the mechanisms of clinical resistance.

Etoposide with lonidamine or pentoxifylline as modulators of alkylating agent activity in vivo

In an effort to improve the additive anti-tumor efficacy of commonly used alkylating agents, the topoisomerase-II inhibitor etoposide was used in combination with either the mitochondrial poison and energy-depleting agent lonidamine or the hemorheologic agent and tumor-blood-flow-increasing agent pentoxifylline. In the FSaIIC murine fibrosarcoma system, these modulators were evaluated for modulation of whole-tumor cell killing vs. bone-marrow CFU-GM toxicity with the alkylating drugs CDDP, CTX, L-PAM or BCNU. Etoposide alone was essentially additive with the alkylating drugs for both tumor-cell and bone-marrow killing, except for BCNU, where a substantial increase in tumor-cell killing occurred (0.5 to 2.0 logs over the dose range of BCNU tested) without a significant increase in bone-marrow toxicity. Etoposide plus lonidamine was significantly more active than etoposide alone only with CTX and BCNU in tumor-cell vs. bone-marrow killing. Etoposide plus pentoxifylline was also most active with these two alkylating agents, where increases in tumor-cell killing of 0.5 to 1.0 log were observed. Hoechst-33342-defined tumor-cell sub-population studies revealed that etoposide significantly improved the killing of dim (putative hypoxic) cells by CDDP, but neither lonidamine nor pentoxifylline significantly improved killing of bright or dim cells together. With CTX, etoposide plus lonidamine or pentoxifylline substantially improved killing of dim cells over etoposide alone (each by about 0.8 logs). These data indicate that a therapeutic advantage may be achievable by combining etoposide with lonidamine or pentoxifylline for use with alkylating drugs.

A new topoisomerase-II inhibitor, BE-10988, produced by a streptomycete. I. Taxonomy, fermentation, isolation and characterization.

A new topoisomerase inhibitor, BE-10988, was isolated from the culture broth of a strain of actinomycetes. The producing strain had a close resemblance to Streptomyces fimicarius and Streptomyces xanthocidicus. The active principle was extracted from the whole broth of strain BA10988 with ethyl acetate and purified by silica gel chromatography and by HPLC. BE-10988 increased DNA-topoisomerase complex formation and inhibited the growth of both doxorubicin-resistant and vincristine-resistant P388 murine leukemia cell lines, as well as sensitive P388 cell lines.

Novobiocin inhibits the SV40 enhancer activity

Using a transient expression assay, we have analysed the effect of novobiocin, DNA topoisomeraseII inhibitor, on simian virus 40(SV40) enhancer activities. We used the recombinant clones containing typeI or II collagen promoters placed upstream of the bacterial chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT) gene with or without SV40 enhancer. We observed the expected increase in CAT activities due to the presence of the SV40 enhancer. Interestingly, CAT gene expression of the enhancer-containing constructs were inhibited more sensitively by novobiocin than that of the enhancer-less construct. This findings lead us propose that DNA superhelicity mediated by topoisomeraseII is one of the important factor for the manifestation of SV40 enhancer activity.