Mechanism Of Growth Inhibition Research Articles

Vesicular Delivery of the Antifungal Antibiotics of Lysobacter enzymogenes C3.

Lysobacter enzymogenes C3 is a predatory strain of Gram-negative gliding bacteria that produces antifungal antibiotics by the polyketide synthetic pathway. Outer membrane vesicles (OMV) are formed as a stress response and can deliver virulence factors to host cells. The production of OMV by C3 and their role in antifungal activity are reported here. Vesicles in the range of 130 to 150 nm in diameter were discovered in the cell-free supernatants of C3 cultures. These OMV contain molecules characteristic of bacterial outer membranes, such as lipopolysaccharide and phospholipids. In addition, they contain chitinase activity and essentially all of the heat-stable antifungal activity in cell supernatants. We show here that C3 OMV can directly inhibit growth of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae as well as that of the filamentous fungus Fusarium subglutinans The activity is dependent on physical contact between OMV and the cells. Furthermore, fluorescent lipid labeling of C3 OMV demonstrated transfer of the membrane-associated probe to yeast cells, suggesting the existence of a mechanism of delivery for membrane-associated molecules. Mass spectrometric analysis of C3 OMV extracts indicates the presence of molecules with molecular weights identical to some of the previously identified antifungal products of C3. These data together suggest that OMV act as an important remote mobile component of predation by LysobacterIMPORTANCE The data presented here suggest a newly discovered function of outer membrane vesicles (OMV) that are produced from the outer membrane of the bacterial species Lysobacter enzymogenes strain C3. We show that these OMV can be released from the surface of the cells to deliver antibiotics to target fungal organisms as a mechanism of killing or growth inhibition. Understanding the role of OMV in antibiotic delivery can generally lead to improved strategies for dealing with antibiotic-resistant organisms. These results also add to the evidence that some bacterially produced antibiotics can be discovered and purified using methods designed for isolation of nanoscale vesicles. Information on these systems can lead to better identification of active molecules or design of delivery vehicles for these molecules.

Toxins targeting transfer RNAs: Translation inhibition by bacterial toxin-antitoxin systems.

Prokaryotic toxin-antitoxin (TA) systems are composed of a protein toxin and its cognate antitoxin. These systems are abundant in bacteria and archaea and play an important role in growth regulation. During favorable growth conditions, the antitoxin neutralizes the toxin's activity. However, during conditions of stress or starvation, the antitoxin is inactivated, freeing the toxin to inhibit growth and resulting in dormancy. One mechanism of growth inhibition used by several TA systems results from targeting transfer RNAs (tRNAs), either through preventing aminoacylation, acetylating the primary amino group, or endonucleolytic cleavage. All of these mechanisms inhibit translation and result in growth arrest. Many of these toxins only act on a specific tRNA or a specific subset of tRNAs; however, more work is necessary to understand the specificity determinants of these toxins. For the toxins whose specificity has been characterized, both sequence and structural components of the tRNA appear important for recognition by the toxin. Questions also remain regarding the mechanisms used by dormant bacteria to resume growth after toxin induction. Rescue of stalled ribosomes by transfer-messenger RNAs, removal of acetylated amino groups from tRNAs, or ligation of cleaved RNA fragments have all been implicated as mechanisms for reversing toxin-induced dormancy. However, the mechanisms of resuming growth after induction of the majority of tRNA targeting toxins are not yet understood. This article is categorized under: Translation > Translation Regulation RNA in Disease and Development > RNA in Disease RNA Interactions with Proteins and Other Molecules > Protein-RNA Recognition.

Synergistic Suppression of Melanoma Growth by a Combination of Natural dsRNA and Panaxadiolsaponins.

Melanoma is one of the most lethal skin malignancies in the world. Interferons (IFNs) have been also demonstrated in response to tumor cell and IFNs such as IFN-α have been used for melanoma treatment. The long chain double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) (from a variety of nonviral sources) is a potent activator of the IFN system and an inducer of cell apoptosis. Panaxadiolsaponins (PDS) is a major Panax ginseng-derived active component with known antitumor activity and immune modulation. Here, we investigated a hypothesis that the combination of PDS and total natural dsRNA (as opposed to the synthetic dsRNA) will suppress tumor growth better than the individual agents. We have evaluated the antitumor and immunostimulatory effects of the combination of natural long chain dsRNA (derived from yeast) and PDS on melanoma cell line B16 and mice xenograft model. The underlying mechanisms of growth suppression were investigated by analyzing dsRNA-activated pathways, apoptosis, and cell cycle. Natural dsRNA and PDS exert superior anticancer effects than either agent alone. Natural dsRNA and PDS combination might be a promising strategy for treating malignancies, including melanoma.

Design, synthesis, cytotoxicity and molecular modeling studies of some novel fluorinated pyrazole-based heterocycles as anticancer and apoptosis-inducing agents.

3,5-Diamino-4-(3-trifluoromethylphenyldiazenyl)-1H-pyrazole was used as a starting scaffold for the synthesis of new pyrazole-based heterocycles to study their effects on the proliferation of three human cancer cell lines; human liver carcinoma cell line (HepG-2), colon cancer cell line (HCT-116) and human breast cancer cell line (MCF-7) using MTT assay. The synthesized compounds were characterized on the basis of IR, 1H NMR, 13C NMR, mass spectral data and elemental analysis results. Cytotoxicity assay results revealed that some of the compounds showed potent growth inhibition against all the cell lines tested, with IC50 values in the range of 0.64-7.73μg/mL. Breast cancer cells were used for further detailed studies to understand the mechanism of cell growth inhibition and apoptosis-inducing effect of the most active compounds. The results indicated that compounds 3a, 10b and 11a arrested MCF-7 cells at G2/M phase of the cell cycle and might induce apoptosis via caspase-3-dependent pathway. Molecular modeling and binding mode analysis of the most active compounds to caspase 3 active site further provide a synergistic mechanism for their pro-apoptotic effects. In order to explore the structural requirements controlling the observed cytotoxic properties, 3D pharmacophore model was generated.

Sotetsuflavone inhibits proliferation and induces apoptosis of A549 cells through ROS-mediated mitochondrial-dependent pathway

BackgroundSotetsuflavone is isolated from Cycas revoluta Thunb., which has biological activity against tumors. However, the anti-proliferative effects of sotetsuflavone on A549 cells and its mechanism are not fully elucidated.MethodsThis study investigated the mechanisms of growth inhibition, cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in non-small cell lung cancer A549 cells induced by sotetsuflavone and evaluated whether sotetsuflavone can be safely utilized by humans as therapeutic agent.ResultsWe found that sotetsuflavone had significant antiproliferative activity against A549 cells. At the same time, the reactive oxygen species (ROS) content increased while the mitochondrial membrane potential and the ratio of Bcl-2/Bax decreased. Cleaved caspase-3, cleaved caspase-9, cytochrome C and Bax expression increased, and Cyclin D1, CDK4, cleaved caspase-8 and Bcl-2 expression decreased. Interestingly, we demonstrated that sotetsuflavone could effectively inhibit the G0/G1 cycle progression, and then induce the endogenous apoptosis pathway. Our results show that sotetsuflavone could inhibit the growth of A549 cells by up-regulating intracellular ROS levels and causing the mitochondrial membrane potential to collapse, inducing G0/G1 phase arrest and endogenous apoptosis.ConclusionsIn short, we confirm that sotetsuflavone had an inhibitory effect on A549 cells and discovered that it causes apoptosis of A549 lung cancer cells. Sotetsuflavone may be used as a novel candidate for anti-tumor therapy in patients with lung cancer.

Enhancing the Cancer Cell Growth Inhibitory Effects of Table Grape Anthocyanins.

Chemical components of grapes are good for our health and have been shown to lower risk for certain cancers. Their beneficial health effects could also be enhanced by consuming other molecules that improve their bioavailability.

Mechanisms of Tumor Growth Inhibition by Depletion of γ-Glutamylcyclotransferase (GGCT): A Novel Molecular Target for Anticancer Therapy.

γ-Glutamylcyclotransferase (GGCT), which is one of the major enzymes involved in glutathione metabolism, is upregulated in a wide range of cancers—glioma, breast, lung, esophageal, gastric, colorectal, urinary bladder, prostate, cervical, ovarian cancers and osteosarcoma—and promotes cancer progression; its depletion leads to the suppression of proliferation, invasion, and migration of cancer cells. It has been demonstrated that the suppression or inhibition of GGCT has an antitumor effect in cancer-bearing xenograft mice. Based on these observations, GGCT is now recognized as a promising therapeutic target in various cancers. This review summarizes recent advances on the mechanisms of the antitumor activity of GGCT inhibition.

Abstract 269: Reactivation of mutant p53 in human prostate cancer cells as a critical mechanism for inhibition of tumor growth by phenethyl isothiocyanate

Abstract Mutations in the p53 gene occur in a wide variety of human cancers at remarkably high frequencies. Prostate cancer (PCa), the most commonly diagnosed cancer and the second leading cause of cancer-related death in men in the United States, show a significantly high frequency of p53 mutations (~30%-70%). However, the role of mutant p53 as a target for the treatment or prevention of PCa remained to be investigated. In this study, we showed that cruciferous vegetable-derived phenethyl isothiocyanate (PEITC) can reactivate p53 mutants, irrespective of its site of mutation, in PCa cells in vitro. Importantly, this study showed that dietary supplementation of PEITC can significantly inhibit DU145 p53 mutant xenograft tumor in a nu/nu Balb/c mice. Interestingly, the animals in the PEITC-treated group showed a significant decrease in the mutant p53 expression levels as compared to the animals in the control group. DU145 cells harboring p53V274F/P223L mutant display maximum sensitivity to PEITC-induced growth inhibition as compared to the wild-type p53 LNCaP and p53 null PC-3 cells. PEITC treatment also caused a significant decrease in the p53 expression level in DU145 cells. No significant inhibition of cell proliferation was detected for the normal prostate epithelial RWPE1 cells treated with PEITC. Mechanistic studies revealed that PEITC induces a conformation change and restores the transactivation functions to the p53 mutant. Accordingly, in PEITC-treated cells the reactivated p53 mutant(s) induces apoptosis by activating canonical wild-type p53 targets, inducing a G1 and S phase delay and by phosphorylating ATM. PEITC treatment of isogenic PC-3 p53 null cells revealed that PC-3 cells expressing p53P223L mutant exhibit maximum inhibition of cell proliferation, suggesting that PEITC acts in a p53P223L mutant-dependent manner. Furthermore, PEITC treatment restores the transactivation functions to p53P223L mutant as shown by the activation of p53 regulated downstream target genes. Interestingly p73, a member of the p53 gene family that shares high functional homology and regulate cell-growth/ cell-death pathways in a manner similar to p53, does not play a role in p53-mediated pathway activation in PEITC treated cells. We further showed that PEITC inhibits cell proliferation and induces apoptosis in prostate cancer cells with hotspot mutants R248W (VCaP) and R175H (LAPC-4). Importantly, PEITC can induce a conformation change, reactivates p53 mutants and induces G1 and S-phase delays in these cells. These results demonstrate that PEITC can reactivate mutant p53, irrespective of the site of p53 mutation, in human prostate cancer cells. These studies provide the first example of targeting mutant p53 in prostate cancer cells by a dietary-related compound that may have impact on the prevention and treatment strategies of this disease. Citation Format: Monika Aggarwal, Rahul Saxena, Nasir Asif, Elizabeth Sinclair, Judy Tan, Idalia Cruz, Deborah Berry, Bhaskar Kallakury, Quynhchi Pham, Thomas Ty Wang, Fung-Lung Chung. Reactivation of mutant p53 in human prostate cancer cells as a critical mechanism for inhibition of tumor growth by phenethyl isothiocyanate [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2018; 2018 Apr 14-18; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2018;78(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 269.

Abstract 3973: Dabrafenib suppresses the growth of BRAF-WT cancers through inhibition of novel targets Nek9 and Cdk16

Abstract Although the BRAF inhibitors dabrafenib and vemurafenib have both proven successful against BRAF-mutant melanoma, there seem to be differences in their mechanisms of action. Here, we show that dabrafenib is more effective at inhibiting the growth of NRAS-mutant and KRAS-mutant cancer cell lines than vemurafenib. Using mass spectrometry-based chemical proteomics we identified NEK9 and CDK16 as unique targets of dabrafenib. Both NEK9 and CDK16 were highly expressed in specimens of advanced melanoma, with high expression of both proteins correlating with a worse overall survival. A role for NEK9 in the growth of NRAS and KRAS-mutant cell lines was suggested by siRNA studies in which silencing was associated with decreased proliferation, cell cycle arrest associated with increased p21 expression, inhibition of phospho-CHK1, decreased CDK4 expression and the initiation of a senescence response. Inhibition of CDK4 but not CHK1 recapitulated the effects of NEK9 silencing, indicating this to be the likely mechanism of growth inhibition. We next turned our attention to CDK16 and found that its knockdown inhibited the phosphorylation of the Rb protein at S780 and increased expression of p27. Both of these effects were phenocopied in NRAS and KRAS-mutant cancer cells by dabrafenib but not vemurafenib. Combined silencing of NEK9 and CDK16 were associated with enhanced inhibition of melanoma cell proliferation and a greater induction of cell cycle arrest. In summary, we have identified dabrafenib as a potent inhibitor of NEK9 and CDK16, and suggest that inhibition of these kinases may have activity against cancers that do not harbor BRAF mutations. Citation Format: Manali S. Phadke, Lily Rix, Inna Smalley, Annamarie Bryant, Harshani Lawrence, Braydon Schaible, Ann Chen, Uwe Rix, Keiran Smalley. Dabrafenib suppresses the growth of BRAF-WT cancers through inhibition of novel targets Nek9 and Cdk16 [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2018; 2018 Apr 14-18; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2018;78(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 3973.

Abstract 381: Uptake of biguanides in mitochondria appears to be related to increased glucose uptake and medium acidification but not necessarily related to inhibition of growth of bladder and colon cancer cells

Abstract Biguanides including metformin have been used in the treatment of Type 2 diabetes and they are under investigation as anti-cancer agents. Investigation on the mechanism of action of biguanides has largely focused on inhibition of complex 1 in the mitochondrial electron transport chain with subsequent activation of AMP-dependent protein kinase. Studies by Bridges et al. (BMC Biology 14:65, 2016) indicate that inhibitory effects on complex 1 in cells require uptake of biguanides into the mitochondria. In the present work the action of two biguanides that enter the mitochondria (buformin and phenformin) were compared with the action of two biguanides with poor uptake (phenyl biguanide and proguanil). Effects on growth, glucose uptake and medium acidification were studied with two human colon cancer cells (Caco-2 and HT29) and seven bladder cancer cell lines (5637, HT1197, HT1376, RT4, T24, TCCSUP and UM-UC-3). After incubation for 72 hours with 25 µM and 50 µM concentrations of the biguanides, growth inhibition was greatest with proguanil followed by phenformin and with little or no growth inhibition at these concentrations with buformin and phenylbiguanide. In contrast, increased glucose uptake and acidification of the medium was observed with buformin and phenformin with no change or decreased medium acidification with phenyl biguanide and proguanil. Studies with buformin over a concentration range from 10 µM to 500 µM indicated that there was generally growth inhibition at concentrations greater than 50 µM. Studies on medium acidification and glucose uptake revealed biphasic responses with increases at lower concentrations that were reversed at higher concentrations of buformin where growth inhibition was observed. The data suggested that the effect of biguanides on glucose metabolism requires mitochondrial uptake while the mechanism for growth inhibition by biguanides remains to be established. Citation Format: Michael A. Lea, Haneulsol Kim, Charles desBordes. Uptake of biguanides in mitochondria appears to be related to increased glucose uptake and medium acidification but not necessarily related to inhibition of growth of bladder and colon cancer cells [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2018; 2018 Apr 14-18; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2018;78(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 381.

Abstract 770: Identification of MASTL as novel mitotic vulnerability of thyroid tumor cells

Abstract Background: Despite thyroid tumors are generally curable, a fraction of patients develops resistance to therapy and tumors progress towards undifferentiated forms, which have a poor prognosis and whose treatment is still a demanding challenge. To identify potential novel targets for thyroid cancer treatment, especially for those aggressive forms, we faced the non-oncogene addiction paradigm, which states that tumor cells become addicted to stress support pathway genes, not required to the same degree by normal ones. To this aim, in a previous study we screened a siRNA library on normal and tumor thyroid cell lines and found several genes essential for the growth of tumor but not normal cells; among the top-ranking hits we found MASTL, a serine/threonine kinase involved in mitosis regulation. Here, we investigated the mechanisms of growth inhibition mediated by MASTL silencing in thyroid tumor cells, in order to identify whether it could represent a potential target for tumor treatment. Methods: MASTL gene expression profile was assessed in 58 normal thyroid tissue samples and 72 papillary (PTC), 17 poorly differentiated (PDTC) and 31 anaplastic (ATC) thyroid carcinoma samples, derived from a meta-analysis of different publicly available datasets. HTC/C3 and 8505C cell lines (ATC-derived) were transfected with MASTL and control siRNAs and tested for cell growth, nuclear aberrations, DNA damage and cell death. Results: By gene expression data analysis, we found that MASTL expression levels in PTC and PDTC samples were similar to those observed in control group, while the highest levels were evidenced in ATC. We next tested by different growth assays the effects of MASTL depletion on HTC/C3 and 8505C cells and found that MASTL silencing impaired their proliferation capacity. Notably, MASTL depletion increased the percentage of cells presenting nuclear anomalies, such as micronuclei, multiple nuclei and lobular nuclei, which are indicative of mitotic catastrophe. We observed that MASTL depletion was associated with increased phosphorylation of CDK1 (Y15), supportive of impairment of cell growth, and of H2AX (Ser139), indicative of increase of DNA damage. Furthermore, MASTL depletion was associated with increased expression of the apoptotic markers cleaved caspase 3 and cleaved PARP, thus suggesting that MASTL inhibition may cause thyroid tumor cell death through apoptosis. These finding was further corroborated by Annexin V assay, which showed an increase of apoptotic and necrotic cells upon MASTL silencing, compared to control. Conclusions: Our results demonstrated that MASTL inhibition is able to impair the growth of thyroid tumor cell lines and is associated with mitotic catastrophe and tumor cell death, thus suggesting that it may represent a valuable candidate for validation as therapeutic target in thyroid cancer. Citation Format: Elena Cetti, Maria Chiara Anania, Katia Todoerti, Giuseppe Mauro, Antonino Neri, Angela Greco. Identification of MASTL as novel mitotic vulnerability of thyroid tumor cells [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2018; 2018 Apr 14-18; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2018;78(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 770.

PO-198 Flavopereirine suppresses colorectal cancer growth via inducing cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in P53 signalling dependence

Introduction High-grade colorectal cancer (CRC) worldwide is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality. However, the benefit of present therapies are actually limited. Flavopereirine, an alkaloid isolated from Geissospermum vellosii, is shown to suppress the viability of various cancer cells through unknown action. Presently, we investigated the functional mechanism and therapeutic potential of flavopereirine on CRC cells in in vitro and in vivo. Material and methods Effects of flavopereirine on the viability, cell cycle, and apoptosis were evaluated in various CRC cell lines in in vitro, using cell proliferation reagent WST-1, propidium iodide staining, and propidium iodide plus annexin-V double staining, respectively. Protein profiles in cell cycle and apoptosis regulation were verified by Western blotting. Furthermore, CRC cells with p53 null or p53 loss-of-function mutation were applied to investigate the mechanism of flavopereirine-mediated growth inhibition. Moreover, the therapeutic efficacy of flavopereirine on the growth of CRC xenograft mouse model was examined in in vivo. Expressions of P53 and P21 and stimulation of apoptosis by TUNEL staining were further determined in flavopereirine-treated CRC tissues by immunohistochemistry. Results and discussions Our data demonstrated that flavopereirine significantly suppressed viability, caused both intrinsic and extrinsic apoptosis, and induced G2/M-phase cell cycle arrest on CRC cells. On mechanismic study, flavopereirine declined the capacity to suppress the viability and to induce apoptosis in p53 null and p53 loss-of-function mutation CRC cells, indicating the important involvement of P53 activity on flavopereirine-medicated growth suppression. Moreover, flavopereirine significantly repressed the growth of CRC and was followed with the upregulation of P53 and P21 expressions and induction of TUNEL-positive apoptosis in tissues in vivo. Conclusion This study indicates that the therapeutic effect of flavopereirine on suppressing the growth of CRCs is through inhibiting the viability, causing G2/M cell cycle arrest, and inducing apoptosis in the manner of P53 dependence, suggesting that flavopereirine might be a potential drug for treating CRC which carries active P53 expression.

Tolerance and resistance characteristics of microalgae Scenedesmus sp. LX1 to methylisothiazolinone

Methylisothiazolinone (MIT) has been widely used to control bacterial growth in reverse osmosis (RO) systems. However, MIT's toxicity on microalgae should be determined because residual MIT is concentrated into RO concentrate (ROC) and might have a severe impact on microalgae-based ROC treatment. This study investigated the tolerance of Scenedesmus sp. LX1 to MIT and revealed the mechanism of algal growth inhibition and toxicity resistance. Scenedesmus sp. LX1 was inhibited by MIT with a half-maximal effective concentration at 72 h (72 h-EC50) of 1.00 mg/L, but the strain recovered from the inhibition when its growth was not completely inhibited. It was observed that this inhibition's effect on subsequent growth was weak, and the removal of MIT was the primary reason for the recovery. Properly increasing the initial algal density significantly shortened the adaptation time for accelerated recovery in a MIT-containing culture. Photosynthesis damage by MIT was one of the primary reasons for growth inhibition, but microalgal cell respiration and adenosine triphosphate (ATP) synthesis were not completely inhibited, and the algae were still alive even when growth was completely inhibited, which was notably different from observations made with bacteria and fungi. The algae synthesized more chlorophyll, antioxidant enzymes of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT), and small molecules, such as reduced glutathione (GSH), to resist MIT poisoning. The microalgae-based process could treat the MIT-containing ROC, since MIT was added for only several hours a week in municipal wastewater reclamation RO processes, and the MIT average concentration was considerably lower than the maximum concentration that algae could tolerate.

Review: Biomaterial systems to resolve brain inflammation after traumatic injury.

The inflammatory response within the central nervous system (CNS) is a tightly regulated cascade of events which is a balance of both cytotoxic and cytotrophic effects which determine the outcome of an injury. The two effects are inextricably linked, particularly in traumatic brain injury or stroke, where permanent dysfunction is often observed. Chronic brain inflammation is a key barrier to regeneration. This is considered a toxic, growth inhibitory mechanism; yet, the inflammatory response must also be considered as a mechanism that can be exploited as protective and reparative. Repurposing this complex response is the challenge for tissue engineers: to design treatments to repair and regenerate damaged tissue after brain insult. Astrocytes are important cells within the CNS which play a key role after traumatic brain injury. A comprehensive understanding of their functions—both cytotrophic and cytotoxic—will enable designed materials and drug delivery approaches for improved treatment options post traumatic injury. Understanding, evaluating, and designing biomaterials that match the healthy neural environment to temporally alter the inflammatory cascade represent a promise neural tissue engineering strategy to optimise repair and regeneration after injury.

The mechanisms of crystal growth inhibition by organic and inorganic inhibitors

Understanding mineral growth mechanism is a key to understanding biomineralisation, fossilisation and diagenesis. The presence of trace compounds affect the growth and dissolution rates and the form of the crystals produced. Organisms use ions and organic molecules to control the growth of hard parts by inhibition and enhancement. Calcite growth in the presence of Mg2+ is a good example. Its inhibiting role in biomineralisation is well known, but the controlling mechanisms are still debated. Here, we use a microkinetic model for a series of inorganic and organic inhibitors of calcite growth. With one, single, nonempirical parameter per inhibitor, i.e. its adsorption energy, we can quantitatively reproduce the experimental data and unambiguously establish the inhibition mechanism(s) for each inhibitor. Our results provide molecular scale insight into the processes of crystal growth and biomineralisation, and open the door for logical design of mineral growth inhibitors through computational methods.

Tannins from Acacia mearnsii De Wild. Bark: Tannin Determination and Biological Activities.

The bark of Acacia mearnsii De Wild. (black wattle) contains significant amounts of water-soluble components acalled “wattle tannin”. Following the discovery of its strong antioxidant activity, a wattle tannin dietary supplement has been developed and as part of developing new dietary supplements, a literature search was conducted using the SciFinder data base for “Acacia species and their biological activities”. An analysis of the references found indicated that the name of Acacia nilotica had been changed to Vachellia nilotica, even though the name of the genus Acacia originated from its original name. This review briefly describes why and how the name of A. nilotica changed. Tannin has been analyzed using the Stiasny method when the tannin is used to make adhesives and the hide-powder method is used when the tannin is to be used for leather tanning. A simple UV method is also able to be used to estimate the values for both adhesives and leather tanning applications. The tannin content in bark can also be estimated using NIR and NMR. Tannin content estimations using pyrolysis/GC, electrospray mass spectrometry and quantitative 31P-NMR analyses have also been described. Tannins consists mostly of polyflavanoids and all the compounds isolated have been updated. Antioxidant activities of the tannin relating to anti-tumor properties, the viability of human neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cells and also anti-hypertensive effects have been studied. The antioxidant activity of proanthocyanidins was found to be higher than that of flavan-3-ol monomers. A total of fourteen papers and two patents reported the antimicrobial activities of wattle tannin. Bacteria were more susceptible to the tannins than the fungal strains tested. Several bacteria were inhibited by the extract from A. mearnsii bark. The growth inhibition mechanisms of E. coli were investigated. An interaction between extracts from A. mearnsii bark and antibiotics has also been studied. The extracts from A. mearnsii bark inhibit the growth of cyanobacteria. Wattle tannin has the ability to inactivate α-amylase, lipase and glucosidase. In vivo experiments on anti-obesity and anti-diabetes were also reported. Several patents relating to these enzymes for anti-diabetes and anti-obesity are in the literature. In addition, studies on Acacia bark extract regarding its antitermite activities, inhibition of itching in atopic dermatitis and anti-inflammatory effects have also been reported. The growth of bacteria was inhibited by the extract from A. mearnsii bark, and typical intestinal bacteria such as E. coli, K. pneumoniae, P. vulgaris and S. marcescenes was also inhibited in vitro by extracts. Based on these results, the Acacia bark extract may inhibit not only the growth of these typical intestinal bacteria but also the growth of other types of intestinal bacteria such as Clostridium and Bacteroides, a so-called “bad bacteria”. If the tannin extract from A. mearnsii bark inhibits growth of these “bad bacteria” in vivo evaluation, the extracts might be usable as a new dietary supplement, which could control the human intestinal microbiome to keep the body healthy.

Next Generation Sequencing Analysis and Map-based Cloning of RALF Insensitive Arabidopsis thaliana Lines.

The Rapid Alkalinization Factor (RALF) peptide family plays a crucial role in plant growth and development. It belongs to a group of related peptide hormones found across the plant kingdom. RALF induces the alkalinization of the apoplast which triggers a signaling cascade that inhibits cell root elongation and growth, however the full mechanism of action is unknown. In this project, a forward-genetics screen was used to identify EMS-mutagenized lines of Arabidopsis thaliana (Ler-0) that were resistant to AtRALF1-induced root growth arrest. 14 of these RALF-resistant mutant (RRM) lines were then re-sequenced using Illumina next generation sequencing technologies in order to find causative mutations and potential mapping polymorphisms. The line RRM30 was found to have 572 exonic SNPs after its genome was mapped to the reference and analyzed with the program Geneious. These SNPs were then used to create a set of dCAPS mapping-markers for a bulked-segregant analysis of RRM30. Many of these markers have been tested and confirmed to be unique to RRM30 using PCR genotyping experiments and gel electrophoresis. Future examination of the bulked-segregant analysis should narrow down the causative mutation in this line and help identify genes required for a RALF response. The causative mutation will be confirmed with an allelism test to knockout lines of A. thaliana in this gene. Identification of genes required for this response will shed more light on the mechanism of growth inhibition by RALF.

SHetA2 and its Analogs Induce Growth Inhibition in Human Glioblastoma Cells

SHetA2, a flexible heteroarotinoid and new cancer‐preventative drug candidate, has exhibited growth inhibition in many human cancer cell lines such as lung, kidney, ovarian, and colon and in animal models of cancer. Because SHetA2 has high lipophilicity (Log P of 7.09), indicating low bioavailability, this suggests that SHetA2 is not an ideal drug candidate (Ideal Log P between 0 and 5). In order to address this issue, modifications were done to the thiochroman ring, resulting in SL‐analogs with lower Log P values. In this study, we examined the growth inhibitory effects of SHetA2 and three thiochroman analogs, SL‐01‐39, SL‐01‐30, and SL‐01‐18 on T98‐G cells, a human glioblastoma cell line.After T98‐G cells were treated for 48 hours with SHetA2 and its analogs at 0.5, 1, 5, 10, and 20 μM, MTS assays were performed to measure cell proliferation and calculate their GI50 values (drug concentration which causes 50% inhibition of cell growth). In addition, trypan blue exclusion assays were performed, using a Vi‐Cell XR cell counter, to determine percent cell viability and relative cell counts of T98‐G cells after treatment with SHetA2 or its analogs. GraphPad Prism statistical software was used to generate a non‐linear regression model from the MTS assay readings to calculate the GI50 values. Results from trypan blue exclusion were analyzed, using Microsoft Excel, to determine the trend in cell viability and viable cell counts with respect to drug concentrations.GI50 values of SHetA2, SL‐01‐39, SL‐01‐30, and SL‐01‐18 were calculated to be 5.57 μM, 5.38 μM, 6.41 μM, and 5.31 μM, respectively, using a one‐phase decay model. With trypan blue exclusion assay, percent cell viability remained relatively unaffected in T98‐G cells treated with SHetA2 and its analogs, despite increasing concentrations. On the contrary, trypan blue exclusion assay results showed a significant decrease in relative cell counts in cells treated with SHetA2 or its analogs when compared to the untreated cells.This is the first report showing the growth inhibitory effects of SHetA2 in T98‐G human glioblastoma cells. The GI50 value of SHetA2 in T98‐G cells is in low micromolar range (~5 μM), comparable to its GI50 values in other cell lines published in literature. In addition, the GI50 values of the three analogs, SL‐01‐39, SL‐01‐30, and SL‐01‐18, were comparable to that of SHetA2. SHetA2 and its analogs decreased the relative cell number of T98‐G cells without significantly affecting cell viability, suggesting that these agents primarily inhibit cell growth of T98‐G cells without inducing cytotoxic effects. Further investigation on the mechanism of growth inhibition is ongoing.Support or Funding InformationTouro CA COP‐MS Program for funding this research.This abstract is from the Experimental Biology 2018 Meeting. There is no full text article associated with this abstract published in The FASEB Journal.

Transcriptome landscape of a bacterial pathogen under plant immunity

Plant pathogens can cause serious diseases that impact global agriculture. The plant innate immunity, when fully activated, can halt pathogen growth in plants. Despite extensive studies into the molecular and genetic bases of plant immunity against pathogens, the influence of plant immunity in global pathogen metabolism to restrict pathogen growth is poorly understood. Here, we developed RNA sequencing pipelines for analyzing bacterial transcriptomes in planta and determined high-resolution transcriptome patterns of the foliar bacterial pathogen Pseudomonas syringae in Arabidopsis thaliana with a total of 27 combinations of plant immunity mutants and bacterial strains. Bacterial transcriptomes were analyzed at 6 h post infection to capture early effects of plant immunity on bacterial processes and to avoid secondary effects caused by different bacterial population densities in planta We identified specific "immune-responsive" bacterial genes and processes, including those that are activated in susceptible plants and suppressed by plant immune activation. Expression patterns of immune-responsive bacterial genes at the early time point were tightly linked to later bacterial growth levels in different host genotypes. Moreover, we found that a bacterial iron acquisition pathway is commonly suppressed by multiple plant immune-signaling pathways. Overexpression of a P. syringae sigma factor gene involved in iron regulation and other processes partially countered bacterial growth restriction during the plant immune response triggered by AvrRpt2. Collectively, this study defines the effects of plant immunity on the transcriptome of a bacterial pathogen and sheds light on the enigmatic mechanisms of bacterial growth inhibition during the plant immune response.

Abstract P5-03-06: Novel targets of breast cancer associated with inflammatory tumor microenvironment

Abstract Breast cancer affects one in eight women in the USA. Considerable progress in the identification of genetic lesions and their modulation has resulted in newer therapies making breast cancer a manageable disease. However, triple negative breast cancer is still difficult to treat and warrants a search for newer targets. To this end, we focused our attention towards the modulation of the breast cancer epithelium by other cell types such as the endothelial cells and the macrophages. The migratory macrophages and the estrogen sensitive migratory endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) constitute the cellular milieu within the tumor microenvironment which continuously modulates breast cancer epithelium. We analyzed the interactions of the breast cancer cell lines (MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231) with the highly proliferative human umbilical cord derived CD133+/CD34+/VEGFR-2+ EPCs and M1 polarized macrophages (activated THP-1 cell line) in two separate in vitro studies. The readouts were cell proliferation, changes in epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT), and cellular differentiation. We observed morphological and cellular growth changes in the EPCs on treatment with conditioned medium (CM) generated from breast cancer cells, consistent with vasculogenesis and in vitro tubulogenesis. Both, MDA-MB-231 and MCF-7 CM, treatments resulted in enhanced EPCs proliferation and differentiation. However, the differentiation patterns were distinct, with MCF-7 CM increasing the number of cell clusters, whereas MDA-MB-231 CM increasing the number of adherent spindle shaped cells. The paracrine interaction was also assessed with M1 polarized macrophages. We observed decreased cell viability in MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 cells following activated THP-1 CM and exosome treatments. Analysis of exosomes from activated THP-1 indicated an upregulation of 13 miRNAs compared to unactivated THP-1. The miRNA hsa-miR-146a-5p had the highest upregulation (44 fold increase). This specific miRNA has been observed in senescent cell and it inhibits cell proliferation, suggesting a possible mechanism for exosome-associated growth inhibition. The analysis of the paracrine interactive mediators between breast cancer cells, EPCs, and M1 polarized macrophages is likely to yield viable novel clinically translatable therapeutic targets. Citation Format: Tiwari RK, Ben Rahoma G, Tuli N, Bednarczyk R, Maniyar RR, Chakraborty S, Singh S, Mittelman A, Geliebter J. Novel targets of breast cancer associated with inflammatory tumor microenvironment [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2017 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2017 Dec 5-9; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2018;78(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P5-03-06.