UMUC3 Cells Research Articles

Glaucocalyxin A induces G2/M cell cycle arrest and apoptosis through the PI3K/Akt pathway in human bladder cancer cells.

Glaucocalyxin A (GLA), a major component isolated from Rabdosia japonica, has been proven to show anti-bacterial and anti-tumor biological characteristics according to previous studies. However, its potential effect on bladder cancer remains unknown. The present research aims to investigate the underlying mechanism in treating bladder cancer in vivo and in vitro. Cell proliferation was analyzed by CCK-8 assay and colony formation. Flow cytometry was used to measure the cell cycle distribution and apoptosis. The expressions of the cell cycle and apoptosis-related proteins were detected by western blotting and immunofluorescence staining. Meanwhile, the in vivo study was performed to evaluate the anti-tumor effect on a UMUC3 subcutaneous tumor of NOD/SCID mice model. GLA suppressed colony-formation ability, triggered G2/M arrest and promoted apoptosis of UMUC3 cells in a dose-dependent manner. Furthermore, western blotting showed that GLA downregulated the expressions of PI3K p85, p-Akt, Bcl-2, CDK1, Cyclin B1 whereas upregulated the levels of PTEN, Bax, Cleaved Caspase-3. In vivo, GLA at a dosage of 20 mg/kg significantly inhibited tumor growth compared with the control group by intraperitoneal injection. These results suggested that GLA-related G2/M arrest and apoptosis in UMUC3 cells were mediated by a suppressed PI3K/Akt signaling pathway, which regulated p21Waf1/Cip1 as well as intrinsic caspase cascade. Collectively, our observations could help to develop new drugs targeting the PI3K/Akt pathway for the treatment of bladder cancer.

Glucocorticoid-Inducible Kinase 2 Promotes Bladder Cancer Cell Proliferation, Migration and Invasion by Enhancing β-catenin/c-Myc Signaling Pathway.

Background: Bladder cancer is one of the most common malignancies in urologic system. The glucocorticoid-inducible kinase 2 (SGK2) expression and function were largely unknown in cancers. Current study was aimed to investigate the role of SGK2 in bladder cancer and its potential mechanisms.Methods: SGK2 expression was quantified by western blot (WB) in multiple bladder cancer cell lines (T24, 5637, J82 and UMUC3) compared with normal urothelial cell line (SVHUC). SGK2 knocking down and overexpression model were established by lentivirus transfection. MTT, colony formation, wound healing and transwell assay were used to assess the tumor cell proliferation, migration and invasion abilities, respectively. In addition, molecular function analysis was performed using FunRich software V3. Immunoprecipitation (IP) assay was applied to investigate the interaction between SGK2 and β-catenin at protein level. TCGA database was retrieved to verify the association between these genes and clinical tumor stage as well as prognosis among bladder cancer patients.Results: SGK2 expression was significantly upregulated in multiple bladder cancer cell lines compared with SVHUC at protein level. Cell proliferation, migration and invasion abilities were significantly decreased after knocking down SGK2 in J82 and UMUC3 cell lines. Inversely, cell aggressive phenotypes were significantly increased after overexpressing SGK2 in T24 cell line. Furthermore, functional analyses of SGK2 based on TCGA database showed that SGK2 related genes were involved in receptor activity, ATP binding, DNA repair protein, trans-membrane receptor activity and lipid binding. In addition, protein interaction analysis identified c-Myc was significantly enriched in SGK2 positively associated genes. The prediction was validated by WB and IP assay that SGK2 could directly bind with β-catenin at protein level to regulate their downstream gene c-Myc expression in bladder cancer to influence tumor progression. And clinical data generated from TCGA database also identified these downstream genes were significantly associated with tumor stage and survival status of bladder cancer patients.Conclusion: Taken together, our findings suggest SGK2 promotes bladder cancer progression via mediating β-catenin/c-Myc signaling pathway, which may serve as a potential therapeutic target for bladder cancer patients.

Overexpression of CircRNA BCRC4 regulates cell apoptosis and MicroRNA-101/EZH2 signaling in bladder cancer.

Emerging evidence has indicated that circular RNAs (circRNAs) play pivotal roles in the regulation of cellular processes and are found to be aberrantly expressed in a variety of tumors. However, the clinical role of circRNAs in bladder cancer (BC) and the molecular mechanisms have yet to be fully understood. In this study, the clinical specimens were obtained and the expression level of a circRNA BCRC4 was detected by real-time PCR in both BC tissues and cell line. The circular RNA over-expression plasmid was constructed and transfected into BC cells and related cell line. The cell cycles and apoptosis were observed using inverted microscope and flow cytometry. Western blotting was used to compare the relative protein expression of groups with different treatments. It was found that circRNA BCRC4 expression was lower in BC tissues than in adjacent normal tissues. Furthermore, consequences of forced-expression of BCRC4 promoted apoptosis and inhibited viability of T24T and UMUC3 cells, and up-regulated BCRC4-increased miR-101 level, which suppressed EZH2 expression in both RNA and protein levels. In addition, gambogic acid (GA) is a promising natural anticancer compound for BC therapy, and GA treatment increased the BCRC4 expression in T24T and UMUC3 cells in a dose-dependent manner. Altogether, our findings suggest that BCRC4 functions as a tumor suppressor in BC, and mediates anticancer function, at least in part, by up-regulating the expression of miR-101. Targeting this newly identified circRNA may help us develop a novel strategy for treating human BC.

Astrocyte elevated gene-1 promotes invasion and epithelial-mesenchymal transition in bladder cancer cells through activation of signal transducer and activator of transcription 3.

To determine the impact of astrocyte elevated gene-1 on the invasion and epithelial-mesenchymal transition of bladder cancer cells in vitro and metastasis in vivo. Gain- and loss-of-function studies were carried out to investigate the biological roles of astrocyte elevated gene-1 in bladder cancer cell invasion, epithelial-mesenchymal transition and lung metastasis. The mechanism underlying the activity of astrocyte elevated gene-1 was examined. Overexpression of astrocyte elevated gene-1 led to a significant increase in the invasive ability of UMUC3 and T24 bladder cancer cells in Matrigel invasion assays. In contrast, silencing of astrocyte elevated gene-1 restrained bladder cancer cell invasion. Overexpression of astrocyte elevated gene-1 downregulated E-cadherin and upregulated vimentin and Twist1, while silencing of astrocyte elevated gene-1 exerted an opposite effect. Mechanistically, astrocyte elevated gene-1 overexpression promoted the phosphorylation of signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 in bladder cancer cells. Treatment with WP1066, a specific signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 inhibitor, significantly abolished astrocyte elevated gene-1-induced invasion and epithelial-mesenchymal transition in UMUC3 cells. In vivo studies showed that astrocyte elevated gene-1 overexpression stimulated the growth of UMUC3 xenograft tumors and lung metastasis. Astrocyte elevated gene-1 shows the ability to promote bladder cancer metastasis, which is causally linked to induction of signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 activation and epithelial-mesenchymal transition. Therefore, targeting astrocyte elevated gene-1 might offer therapeutic benefits in treating metastatic bladder cancer.

HDAC inhibition as a treatment concept to combat temsirolimus-resistant bladder cancer cells.

IntroductionAlthough the mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR) might be a promising molecular target to treat advanced bladder cancer, resistance develops under chronic exposure to an mTOR inhibitor (everolimus, temsirolimus). Based on earlier studies, we proposed that histone deacetylase (HDAC) blockade might circumvent resistance and investigated whether HDAC inhibition has an impact on growth of bladder cancer cells with acquired resistance towards temsirolimus.ResultsThe HDAC inhibitor valproic acid (VPA) significantly inhibited growth, proliferation and caused G0/G1 phase arrest in RT112res and UMUC-3res. cdk1, cyclin B, cdk2, cyclin A and Skp1 p19 were down-regulated, p27 was elevated. Akt-mTOR signaling was deactivated, whereas acetylation of histone H3 and H4 in RT112res and UMUC-3res increased in the presence of VPA. Knocking down cdk2 or cyclin A resulted in a significant growth blockade of RT112res and UMUC-3res.Materials And MethodsParental (par) and resistant (res) RT112 and UMUC-3 cells were exposed to the HDAC inhibitor VPA. Tumor cell growth, proliferation, cell cycling and expression of cell cycle regulating proteins were then evaluated. siRNA blockade was used to investigate the functional impact of the proteins.ConclusionsHDAC inhibition induced a strong response of temsirolimus-resistant bladder cancer cells. Therefore, the temsirolimus-VPA-combination might be an innovative strategy for bladder cancer treatment.

Expression of ganglioside GD2, reprogram the lipid metabolism and EMT phenotype in bladder cancer.

High-grade Bladder Cancer (BLCA) represents the most aggressive and treatment-resistant cancer that renders the patients with poor survival. However, only a few biomarkers have been identified for the detection and treatment of BLCA. Recent studies show that ganglioside GD2 can be used as cancer biomarker and/or therapeutic target for various cancers. Despite its potential relevance in cancer diagnosis and therapeutics, the role of GD2 is unknown in BLCA. Here, we report for the first time that high-grade BLCA tissues and cell lines have higher expression of GD2 compared to low-grade by high-resolution Mass Spectrometry. The muscle invasive UMUC3 cell line showed high GD2, mesenchymal phenotype, and cell proliferation. Besides, we have shown the cancer stem cells (CSC) property (CD44hiCD24lo) of GD2+ UMUC3 and J82 cells. Also, the evaluation of lipid metabolism in GD2+ BLCA cell lines revealed higher levels of Phosphatidylinositol (PI), Phosphatidic acid (PA), Cardiolipin (CL) and lower levels of Phosphatidylserine (PS), plasmenyl-phosphatidylethanolamines (pPE), plasmenyl-phosphocholines (pPC), sphingomyelins (SM), triglycerides (TGs) and N-Acetylneuraminic acid. These findings are significantly correlated with the tissues of BLCA patients. Based on this evidence, we propose that GD2 may be used as an effective diagnostic and therapeutic target for aggressive BLCA.

Impact of ABCC3 on proliferation, drug resistance, and aerobic glycolysis in bladder cancer cells

Objective To study the correlation between ABCC3 gene and bladder cancer cell proliferation, drug resistance and aerobic glycolysis. Methods Lipofectamine 2000 reagent was used for small interfering RNA (siRNA) transfection. Human ABCC3 siRNA and negative control siRNA were transfected into UMUC-3 and 5637 cells separately, and bladder cancer cells were divided into siABCC3-1 group, siABCC3-2 group and control group. Western blot assay was used to evaluate the ABCC3 expression levels. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was performed to determine the ABCC3 mRNA expression levels. The effect of ABCC3 on bladder cancer cell growth was determined by colony formation assay. We also analyzed the sensitivity of cance cells to cisplatin by MTT assay. The effect of ABCC3 on aerobic glycolysis were detected by measuring LDHA protein levels, lactate production and glucose consumption. The measurement data were expressed as (±s) tandard deviation. The difference between the groups was analyzed by single factor analysis of variance and LSD. Results Both protein and mRNA levels of ABCC3 were significantly decreased after si-ABCC3 transfection. Bladder cancer cells treated with si-ABCC3 exhibited significantly lower colony numbers than that of the control group. 5637 cells treated with siABCC3-1 and siABCC3-2 were 4.02 μg/ml and 3.91 μg/ml, respectively. The IC50 values of cisplatin after UMUC-3 cells siABCC3-1 and siABCC3-2 were 2.54 μg/ml and 2.49 μg/ml, respectively. The expression of lactate dehydrogenase A protein in bladder cancer cells was down-regulated and the expression of ABCC3 was positively correlated with the expression of LDHA (P=0.0362). siABCC3-1 and siABCC3-2 were transfected into 5637 cells, respectively. The glucose consumption decreased by 43.2% and 43.7% respectively. The lactic acid production was reduced by 31.3% and 29.7%, respectively. After transfection of UMUC-3 cells with siABCC3-1 and siABCC3-2, glucose consumption decreased by 33.4% and 37.5%, respectively, and lactic acid production decreased by 24.7% and 25.2%, respectively, compared with the control group, the difference was statistically significant (P<0.001). Conclusions ABCC3 is an important oncoprotein involved in cell proliferation, glycolysis and drug resistance. It could be a promising predictive biomarker and potential therapeutic target for bladder cancer. Key words: Urinary bladder neoplasms; Cell proliferation; Glycolysis; Durg resistance, neoplasm; ATP-binding cassette transporter

Abstract 2041: High-throughput chemical screening for sensitization of bladder cancer to gemcitabine and cisplatin chemotherapy

Abstract Introduction and Objectives Gemcitabine and cisplatin chemotherapy (GC) is the current standard regimen for locally advanced and metastatic bladder cancer (BC). Despite a relatively high initial response rate, some cases do not regress (intrinsic resistance) and the remaining cases often show regrowth after initial shrinkage (acquired resistance). To identify novel therapeutic agents for overcoming these resistances, we applied a high-throughput screening of chemicals administered in combination with GC. Methods As a high-throughput screening, 2100 compounds were administered alone or in combination with GC to human BC cell lines (J82, UMUC-3). Cell viability was determined after 3-day incubation and chemicals that enhanced inhibitory effect of GC were screened. The in vivo effect of disulfiram (DSF) was studied in UMUC-3 cell xenografts, and western blot, immunofluorescence, induced coupled plasma spectrometry and measurement of reactive oxygen species (ROS) were done in vitro for mechanistic exploration. Results The initial screening identified 26 compounds and further validation narrowed them into the most synergistic agent DSF, an FDA-approved drug for alcoholism. Combination index assay showed synergistic effects of DSF with cisplatin but not with gemcitabine in J82, UMUC-3, T24, HT1197 and HT1376 cells. Co-administration of DSF significantly increased DNA-platinum adducts by regulating cisplatin efflux transporter ATP7A and enhanced apoptosis by GC treatment in UMUC-3 cells, with significant increase of ROS production. Use of DSF in combination with GC (GCD) significantly inhibited tumor growth of UMUC-3 subcutaneous xenograft on athymic mice (by 39% compared with GC alone, p = 0.02). GCD regimen was as tolerable as GC and no significant differences were observed in body weight of treated mice between the two regimens. Conclusions Repositioning of DSF to a chemotherapy sensitizer is a promising treatment strategy, which can be translated rapidly in the future. Citation Format: Yuki Kita, Takashi Kobayashi, Ryouichi Saito, Toshinari Yamasaki, Takahiro Inoue, Osamu Ogawa. High-throughput chemical screening for sensitization of bladder cancer to gemcitabine and cisplatin chemotherapy [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2017; 2017 Apr 1-5; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2017;77(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 2041. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2017-2041

Abstract 967: Development of fluorescent-cell based high throughput assay to identify novel therapeutics of bladder cancer cells through upregulation of SPARC expression

Abstract Bladder cancer is the most common malignancy affecting the urinary system with an estimated 76,960 new cases and projected 16,390 deaths in 2016 in the United States. The role of SPARC in various cancers is contextual and differs based on the tumor classification, malignancy and progression. We have recently reported the tumor suppressor effect of SPARC in urinary bladder cancer. We have shown that the loss of SPARC in bladder cancer resulted accelerated bladder carcinogenesis and metastasis multiple pathways involving cell cycle deregulation, inflammation and angiogenesis. We have also reported that SPARC protein expression significantly decreased in the cancerous compartment in advanced human bladder cancer as well as in carcinogen-induced murine urothelial cancer. However, the mechanism of the downregulation of SPARC expression in cancer in general and in bladder cancer in particular is still unraveled. The purpose of our study is to develop a robust, high throughput assay to identify therapeutic candidates as regulators of SPARC expression in bladder cancer. We cloned SPARC promoter in a third generation lentiviral vector coupled with fluorescent GFP or mCherry fluorescent protein to quantitatively measure SPARC expression. We generated stable bladder cancer cell lines expressing SPARC expression in bladder cancer cell lines. UMUC3 bladder cancer cells were transduced with lentiviral vector to generate SPARC-promoter reporter system to screen regulators of SPARC expression. Reporter cells were plated in 96 well plates and treated with 10uM of FDA-approved and natural product drug libraries. Real time monitoring of changes in SPARC expression was done by measuring GFP fluorescence intensity using IncuCyte® ZOOM Live Imaging Analysis System. We identified drugs that consistently exhibited dosage-dependent augmentation or down-regulation of SPARC expression in UMUC3 cells. Our screens identified novel up-regulators of SPARC expression that are both standard of care and novel bladder cancer therapeutics. Our efforts produced an efficient robust assay to identify novel therapeutics and regulators of the tumor suppressor SPARC in the bladder cancer ecosystem that can be used in the adjuvant and neoadjuvant settings. Citation Format: Chirayu M. Patel. Development of fluorescent-cell based high throughput assay to identify novel therapeutics of bladder cancer cells through upregulation of SPARC expression [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2017; 2017 Apr 1-5; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2017;77(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 967. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2017-967

Abstract 4047: NF-kB inhibitor DMAPT enhances cisplatin efficacy and reduces its toxicity in a carcinogen-induced model of muscle-invasive bladder cancer

Abstract BACKGROUND: Nuclear factor kappaB (NF-κB) blocks apoptosis and promotes chemoresistance to drugs like cisplatin (CDDP). However, the clinical use of NF-κB inhibitors is restricted to hematological malignancies and the benefit of NF-κB inhibition in solid tumors has yet to be realized. The novel agent dimethylaminoparthenolide (DMAPT) blocks NF-κB in bladder cancer cell lines and can overcome chemoresistance as part of a combination therapy. METHODS AND RESULTS: We tested DMAPT's ability to enhance CDDP's efficacy against muscle-invasive bladder cancer. In vitro, 2.5 µM DMAPT was shown to up-regulate death receptor 4 and 5 expression and induce poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) cleavage in UMUC-3 cells. Both 2.5 µM DMAPT and 2.5 µM CDDP reduced UMUC-3 cell viability as single agents, and their effect was enhanced when combined. We next tested CDDP (4.0 mg/kg/week i.p) and DMAPT (100.0 mg/kg/day oral) in combination and as single agents for 6 weeks in an immune-competent mouse model of muscle-invasive (T2) bladder cancer induced by the tobacco-related agent N-butyl-N-(4-hydroxybutyl)-nitrosamine (BBN). Procedures followed the 2010/63/EU animal welfare directive. One DMAPT-treated and 1 CDDP-treated mouse died during the experiments. The cohorts were: negative control (no BBN exposure, n=15), positive control (BBN but no therapy, n=19), BBN and DMAPT-treated (n=17), BBN and CDDP-treated (n=18) and BBN and the combination of CDDP plus DMAPT (n=19). Negative control, positive control, DMAPT, CDDP and combination-treated mice showed 0.0%, 42.1%, 35.3%, 11.1% and 0.0% bladder cancer incidence, respectively. T2 (muscle-invasive) lesions were present in positive controls (15.8%), DMAPT (17.6%) and CDDP (5.6%), but not in the combination group (0.0%). High-grade urothelial dysplasia, a pre-malignant lesion, was observed at rates of: 57.9% (positive controls), 29.4% (DMAPT), 16.6% (CDDP) and 0.0% (combination). CDDP induced renal tubular necrosis and interstitial nephritis seen on H&amp;E with increased urea (BUN) and creatinine. The combination therapy reduced interstitial nephritis, BUN (p&amp;lt;0.05, Student's t test) and creatinine levels. CDDP reduced gastrocnemius muscle mass, increased muscular fatigue (grip strength test) and reduced body weight. These effects were ameliorated in combination-treated mice. CDDP and the combination therapy induced anemia and atrophy of bone marrow, thymus and spleen at identical levels. CONCLUSION: The DMAPT-CDDP combination was more effective than CDDP as single agent in vitro and in vivo, and totally eradicated malignant and pre-malignant bladder lesions in an immune-competent mouse model. The combination ameliorated CDDP-induced nephrotoxicity and muscle wasting presumably by blocking CDDP mediated injury from NF-κB activation in normal tissues, without imposing additional hematological toxicity. Citation Format: Rui M. Gil da Costa, Pedro Ferreirinha, Nazaré Pinto da Cunha, Carlos Santos, Tiago Neto, Ana I. Faustino-Rocha, Manuel Vilanova, Margarida M. Bastos, Carlos Lopes, Paula A. Oliveira, Joaquim Gabriel, Peter Nelson, Christopher Sweeney. NF-kB inhibitor DMAPT enhances cisplatin efficacy and reduces its toxicity in a carcinogen-induced model of muscle-invasive bladder cancer [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2017; 2017 Apr 1-5; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2017;77(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 4047. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2017-4047

Abstract 110: Quantitative high throughput screening as a tool to identify novel therapies in bladder cancer

Abstract Introduction: Bladder cancer (CaB) is the 4th most common cancer among men in the US. It is the most expensive malignancies to treat from diagnosis to death. No new pharmacological agents have been approved for treatment of bladder cancer since the approval of BCG in 1990. Thus, there is an urgent need for development of new treatment therapies. Quantitative high throughput screening (qHTS) of representative cancer lines with oncology drugs may identify new treatments or re-purpose already existing therapies for different disease. We utilized this technique to identify new therapies in two primary bladder lines (T24 and UMUC3) and their metastatic lines (T24T, SLT3 and FL3 of T24 and LUL-2 for UMUC3). Methods: We screened 7 bladder cancer cell lines against 1,912 oncology drugs using a 48 hour cell proliferation assay with an ATP−based readout (CellTiterGlo) to determine activity and potency of compounds in a dose response manner. One of the candidate drugs inhibitory in all cell lines tested is flavopiridol, a pan CDK inhibitor. We further characterized the mechanism of action and in vivo effects of flavopiridol using various cell based assays and mouse xenograft studies. Results: The initial screen identified 95 compounds active in 7 cell lines. The top 50 compounds were further analyzed for molecular size of &amp;gt;200 g/mol and TPSA&amp;lt;90. This identified mitomycin C and 8 novel compounds. Further testing revealed Flavopiridol to be most consistent with qHTS data having IC50 of 100-300nM in all the cell lines tested. Flavopiridol induces G2/M arrest; however, very little apoptosis was seen suggesting cytostatic rather than cytotoxic mechanism of flavopiridol action. Flavopiridol showed dose dependent inhibition of migration, invasion and colony formation in CaB cell lines tested. Xenograft studies in rapidly growing UMUC-3 cells showed slowing of tumor growth but not complete reduction indicating cytostatic mechanism of flavopiridol. However, in slow growing cells, 5637, 5/8 treated mice showed complete tumor reduction. Conclusions: qHTS can identify novel compounds. Flavopiridol seems to be a very effective inhibitor both in vitro and in vivo. Physical properties of Flavopiridol are most suited for intravesical use which may lead to it being an effective inhibitor of CaB in the bladder at higher doses without any/few systemic toxicities. Studies are underway to elucidate the use of flavopiridol as a single intravesical agent. Citation Format: Reema Railkar, Thomas Sanford, L. Spencer Krane, Piyush K. Agarwal. Quantitative high throughput screening as a tool to identify novel therapies in bladder cancer [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2017; 2017 Apr 1-5; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2017;77(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 110. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2017-110

Urolithins impair cell proliferation, arrest the cell cycle and induce apoptosis in UMUC3 bladder cancer cells.

Ellagitannins have been gaining attention as potential anticancer molecules. However, the low bioavailability of ellagitannins and their extensive metabolization in the gastrointestinal tract into ellagic acid and urolithins suggest that the health benefits of consuming ellagitannins rely on the direct effects of their metabolites. Recently, chemopreventive and chemotherapeutic activities were ascribed to urolithins. Nonetheless, there is still a need to screen and evaluate the selectivity of these molecules and to elucidate their cellular mechanisms of action. Therefore, this work focused on the antiproliferative effects of urolithins A, B and C and ellagic acid on different human tumor cell lines. The evaluation of cell viability and the determination of the half-maximal inhibitory concentrations indicated that the sensitivity to the studied urolithins varied markedly between the different cell lines, with the bladder cancer cells (UMUC3) being the most susceptible. In UMUC3 cells, urolithin A was the most active molecule, promoting cell cycle arrest at the G2/M checkpoint, increasing apoptotic cell death and inhibiting PI3K/Akt and MAPK signaling. Overall, the present study emphasizes the chemopreventive/chemotherapeutic potential of urolithins, highlighting the stronger effects of urolithin A and its potential to target transitional bladder cancer cells.

Periostin suppresses in vivo invasiveness via PDK1/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway in a mouse orthotopic model of bladder cancer.

Periostin is an extracellular matrix protein involved in the regulation of intercellular adhesion. The present study investigated the in vivo tumor suppressor function of periostin in a mouse orthotopic model of bladder cancer. Retroviral vectors were used to transfect human bladder cancer UMUC-3 cell line with periostin. Bladders of nude mice that were transurethrally instilled with periostin-expressing UMUC-3 cells were revealed to weigh less compared with bladders instilled with vector control cells. In total, five (83.3%) of six vector control UMUC-3 bladder tumors exhibited histological evidence of muscle invasion. However, none of the five periostin-expressing UMUC-3 bladder tumors revealed muscle invasion. Thick edematous lesions were present in the submucosa of periostin-expressing UMUC-3 bladder tumors. The expression of periostin also suppressed in vitro cell invasiveness of UMUC-3 cells without affecting cellular proliferation. The level of phosphorylation of phosphoinositide-dependent kinase-1 (PDK1), protein kinase B (Akt) and S6 ribosomal protein, a downstream protein of mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) was decreased in periostin-expressing UMUC-3 cells compared with vector control cells. Treatment with 100 ng/ml recombinant human periostin protein also suppressed cell invasiveness and phosphorylation of PDK1, Akt and S6 in UMUC-3 cells, consistent with results using periostin-expressing UMUC-3 cells. Treatment with PDK1, Akt and mTOR inhibitors significantly suppressed UMUC-3 cell invasiveness. These results demonstrate that periostin suppresses in vivo and in vitro invasiveness of bladder cancer via the PDK1/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway. Periostin may be useful as a potent chemotherapeutic agent by suppressing bladder cancer invasiveness.

MP48-12 EXTRAORDINARY ELEVATION OF SERPINB2 GENE AFTER ANTI-CANCER DRUG TREATMENT IN BLADDER CANCER

You have accessJournal of UrologyBladder Cancer: Basic Research & Pathophysiology II1 Apr 2017MP48-12 EXTRAORDINARY ELEVATION OF SERPINB2 GENE AFTER ANTI-CANCER DRUG TREATMENT IN BLADDER CANCER Miho Hiraki, Naoko Arichi, Hirofumi Kishi, Haruki Anjiki, Hiroaki Yasumoto, and Hiroaki Shiina Miho HirakiMiho Hiraki More articles by this author , Naoko ArichiNaoko Arichi More articles by this author , Hirofumi KishiHirofumi Kishi More articles by this author , Haruki AnjikiHaruki Anjiki More articles by this author , Hiroaki YasumotoHiroaki Yasumoto More articles by this author , and Hiroaki ShiinaHiroaki Shiina More articles by this author View All Author Informationhttps://doi.org/10.1016/j.juro.2017.02.1493AboutPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissionsReprints ShareFacebookTwitterLinked InEmail INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES The second line chemotherapy against advanced bladder cancer has not been established. We hypothesize that highly activated genes after anti-cancer drug treatment is related to the key for predicting the anti-tumor effect. For this purpose, a comprehensive analysis using cDNA microarray was performed to identify the common target genes after treatment of chemotherapeutic agent. METHODS Bladder cancer cell lines of T24, RT4, UMUC3, and prostate cancer cell line of PC3 were used as control. Clinical samples from 26 cases with muscle invasive bladder cancer who underwent radical cystectomy were also used. Anti-cancer drugs used were docetaxel (DTX), gemcitabine (GEM) and Cis-platinum (CDDP). The cell viability was evaluated by an MTT assay. Gene expression profiles in T24 cells were identified using cDNA microarray, which showed significant difference before and after treamnent of 1.1mM docetaxel (DTX). Individual gene expression was validated by quantitative RT-PCR. Functional study of the candidate genes was performed using specific siRNA transfection. RESULTS We identified SERPINB2 gene with the GO term of “negative regulation of apoptosis” as extraordinarily activated gene after DTX treatment (Z score=7.509) . In T24 and UMUC3 cells, SERPINB2 expression was significantly increased in a stepwise manner of DTX concentration, while no significant elevation of SERPINB2 was found in RT4 cells (Table). Likewise, CDDP extraordinarily enhanced the SERPINB2 expression in T24 and UMUC3, but not in RT4. On other hand, GEM significantly accelerated the SERPINB2 expression in T24, while it did not in UMUC3 and RT4. UMUC3 cells, in which high SERPINB2 expression was found before treatment, showed significant reduction of cell viability after transfection of SERPINB2 siRNA, suggesting that SERPINB2 might function as oncogene. In addition, in PC3 where SERPINB2 was highly expressed before treatment, SERPINB2 knockdown by siRNA transfection showed significant reduction of cancer cell survival. In clinical samples, there was no significant difference in SERPINB2 expression between normal and cancer tissues. Interestingly, SERPINB2 expression was significantly higher in 4 cases who underwent both neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) and cystectomy than in 22 cases who did cystectomy alone. CONCLUSIONS In certain bladder cancers, SERPINB2 might function as oncogene and is highly up-regulated. Activation of SERPINB2, which is frequently found after anti-cancer agent treatment, might provide the essential information regarding the chemotherapeutic strategy in bladder cancer. © 2017FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Volume 197Issue 4SApril 2017Page: e641 Advertisement Copyright & Permissions© 2017MetricsAuthor Information Miho Hiraki More articles by this author Naoko Arichi More articles by this author Hirofumi Kishi More articles by this author Haruki Anjiki More articles by this author Hiroaki Yasumoto More articles by this author Hiroaki Shiina More articles by this author Expand All Advertisement Advertisement PDF downloadLoading ...

Glucose metabolism and bladder cancer.

359 Background: To understand and evaluate the role of glucose metabolism in bladder cancer growth, in the identification of disease, and development of potential treatment strategies. Methods: UMUC3, T24 and 253JBV cells were grown in varying glucose concentrations (25, 100 and 200mg/dl) and cell proliferation assay with Vi-Cell was performed. Next, we used Qiagen PCR array of glucose metabolic pathway of the UMUC3 cell line under different glucose concentrations. PKM2 is a driver of glycolysis and exists in an inactive dimer or active tetramer. Dimer PKM2 also known as Tumor M2-PK was measured in urine samples of bladder cancer patients using a commercially available ELISA kit (ScheBo Biotech AG). Lastly, Shikonin, a PKM2 inhibitor was evaluated as an inhibitor of bladder cancer cell proliferation using Vi-Cell. Results: Increased glucose concentration 200mg/dl leads to increased proliferation in bladder cancer cells while decreased concentration of glucose; 25mg/dl reduces proliferation compared to control (100). PCR array demonstrates genes in the glycolytic pathway genes are upregulated in cells that are grown in 200mg/dl glucose media and the TCA cycle genes are upregulated in cells that are subjected to the 25mg/dl glucose media when compared to control (100mg/dl). The enzyme pyruvate kinase M2 (PKM2) controls the transition from the glycolytic pathway to TCA cycle. We have found that 9/10 (90%) of bladder cancer urine samples show elevated levels of tumor M2-PK (&gt;104) compared to urine from two normal subjects (~30 units ) using a commercially available ELISA kit. Conclusions: Increased glucose concentration 200mg/dl leads to increased proliferation in bladder cancer cells while decreased concentration of glucose; 25mg/dl reduces proliferation compared to control (100).

Flavoperidol as a novel therapeutic agent for bladder cancer.

357 Background: Bladder cancer (CaB) is the 4th most common cancer among men in the US but receives substantially less research resources than many other cancer types. There has been little change to the management of bladder cancer over the past 25 years. Quantitative high throughput screening (qHTS) of representative cancer lines with oncology drugs may identify new treatments or re-purpose already existing therapies for different disease. We utilized this technique to identify new therapies in three primary bladder lines (RT4, T24, and UMUC3) and their metastatic lines (T24T, SLT3 and FL3 for T24 and LUL-2 for UMUC3). Methods: We screened 8 bladder cancer cell lines (including RT4, T24, and UMUC3) against 1,912 oncology drugs using a 48 hour cell proliferation assay with an ATP−based readout to determine activity and potency of compounds in a dose response manner. One of the candidate drugs inhibitory in all cell lines tested is flavopiridol, a pan CDK inhibitor. We further characterized the mechanism of action and in vivo effects of flavopiridol using various cell based assays and mouse xenograft studies. Results: The initial screen identified 95 compounds active in 8 cell lines. The top 50 compounds were further analyzed for molecular size of &gt;200 g/mol and TPSA&lt;90. This identified mitomycin C and 8 novel compounds. Further testing revealed Flavopiridol to be most consistent with qHTS data having IC50 of 100-300nM in all the cell lines tested. Flavopiridol induces G2/M arrest; however, very little apoptosis was seen suggesting a cytostatic rather than a cytotoxic mechanism of flavopiridol action. Flavopiridol showed dose dependent inhibition of migration, invasion and colony formation in all cell lines tested. Xenograft studies in rapidly growing UMUC-3 cells showed slowing of tumor growth but not complete reduction indicating cytostatic mechanism of flavopiridol. Conclusions: A high throughput drug screen can identify novel compounds in bladder cancer. Flavopiridol seems to be a very effective inhibitor both in vitro and in vivo. Physical properties of Flavopiridol are most suited for intravesical use, which may lead to it being an effective inhibitor of CaB in the bladder at higher doses without any/few systemic toxicities.

Silencing of Armadillo Repeat-Containing Protein 8 (ARMc8) Inhibits TGF-β-Induced EMT in Bladder Carcinoma UMUC3 Cells.

Armadillo repeat-containing protein 8 (ARMc8) is a key factor in regulating cell migration, proliferation, tissue maintenance, and tumorigenesis. However, its role in bladder cancer remains unknown. Thus, in this study we sought to investigate the effect of ARMc8 on the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) progress in bladder cancer cells induced by transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1). Our results found that ARMc8 was highly expressed in bladder cancer cell lines. ARMc8 silencing inhibited the TGF-β1-induced migration and invasion and suppressed the EMT progress in bladder cancer cells. Furthermore, ARMc8 silencing inhibited the TGF-β1-induced expression of β-catenin, cyclin D1, and c-myc in bladder cancer cells. In conclusion, the present study demonstrates a novel function for ARMc8, which acts as a mediator for TGF-β1-induced cell migration/invasion through modulation of the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway in bladder cancer cells. This study suggests that ARMc8 may be a potential therapeutic target for the development of therapies for bladder cancer.

MiR-489 Suppresses Proliferation and Invasion of Human Bladder Cancer Cells.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have been shown to be involved in bladder cancer progression. miR-489 (also known as miR-489-3p) was recently reported to be a tumor suppressor in several cancers. However, its exact role and mechanism in the progression of bladder cancer are largely unknown. In this study, we explore the role of miR-489 in the proliferation and invasion of human bladder cancer cells. The miR-489 expression levels were detected in bladder cancer and normal adjacent tissues, as well as in human normal bladder epithelial cells and bladder cancer cell lines. The results showed that miR-489 was sharply reduced in bladder cancer tissues and cell lines. Then the miR-489 mimic or oligo anta-miR-489 was transfected into T24 and UMUC3 bladder cancer cell lines. The results showed that the miR-489 mimic greatly increased the miR-489 level and significantly decreased the proliferation and invasion of T24 and UMUC3 cells. In contrast, the anta-miR-489 had a completely opposite effect on miR-489 expression, cell proliferation, and cell invasion. Moreover, bioinformatics and luciferase reporter gene assays confirmed that miR-489 targeted the mRNA 3′-untranslated region (3′-UTR) region of Jagged1 (JAG1), a Notch ligand. In conclusion, miR-489 suppressed proliferation and invasion of human bladder cancer cells.

Abstract 698: Progranulin targeting in urothelial cancer cells inhibits motility, tumor growth in vitro and in vivo and sensitizes cells to cisplatin

Abstract Introduction and Objective: Bladder cancer is a major public health problem and affects more than 74,000 Americans with more than 16,000 estimated deaths in 2015. The majority of deaths are due to metastatic spread, commonly to the lungs. Understanding the molecular mechanisms regulating bladder tumor cell invasion and progression toward metastases is essential for developing better therapies to treat bladder cancer patients. The growth factor progranulin has emerged in recent years as an important regulator of transformation in several cancer models. We have previously established a critical role for progranulin in bladder cancer as in fact progranulin acts as an autocrine growth factor and promote motility and invasion of invasive urothelial cancer cells. In addition, progranulin is upregulated in high grade bladder cancer tissues compared to normal tissue controls suggesting that progranulin might work as a novel biomarker with predictive value for bladder cancer progression. However, whether progranulin is important for anchorage-independent growth and in vivo tumor formation of urothelial cancer cells has not been previously established. Methods: Progranulin depletion was achieved by stably transfecting tumorigenic T24T, UMUC3 urothelial cancer cells with a plasmid expressing an anti-progranulin shRNA. Progranulin-depleted and control UMUC-3 and T24T cells were tested for motility, invasion and anchorage-independent growth by soft-agar assays. Tumor formation in vivo was assessed in various UMUC-3-derived cell lines by xenograft and orthotopic models. Sensitivity to cisplatin was assessed by cell survival curves. Progranulin expression levels in a bladder tissue microarray were analyzed by HIC. Results: Progranulin-depleted T24T and UMUC-3 cells were significantly inhibited in their ability to migrate, close a wound and invade through Matrigel compared to control cells in both serum-deprived and 1% serum media. In addition, progranulin targeting strongly reduced the ability of T24T and UMUC-3 cells to grow in anchorage-independency and form colonies in soft-agar. Significantly progranulin-depleted UMUC-3 cells were severely inhibited in tumor formation in vivo as assessed by both xenograft and orthotopic models in immunocompromised mice. Importantly, progranulin depletion sensitized UMUC-3 cells to cisplatin. Finally, progranulin levels correlated with tumor progression in bladder cancer tissues. Conclusions: Our data are translationally relevant as indicate that progranulin exerts an essential functional role in the regulation of bladder cancer progression. Thus, progranulin may constitute a novel target for therapeutic intervention in bladder tumors. In addition, progranulin may serve as novel biomarker for diagnosis and prognosis of bladder cancer. Citation Format: Simone Buraschi, Shi-Qiong Xu, Manuela Stefanello, Igor Moskalev, Alaide Morcavallo, Marco Genua, Ryuta Tanimoto, Thomas Neill, Stephen C. Peiper, Leonard G. Gomella, Antonino Belfiore, Peter C. Black, Renato V. Iozzo, Andrea Morrione. Progranulin targeting in urothelial cancer cells inhibits motility, tumor growth in vitro and in vivo and sensitizes cells to cisplatin. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 107th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2016 Apr 16-20; New Orleans, LA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(14 Suppl):Abstract nr 698.

Abstract 5046: High-throughput chemical screening for sensitization of bladder cancer to gemcitabine and cisplatin chemotherapy

Abstract Background Gemcitabine and cisplatin chemotherapy (GC) is the current standard regimen for locally advanced and metastatic bladder cancer (BC). Despite a relatively high initial response rate, some cases do not regress (intrinsic resistance) and the remaining cases often show regrowth after initial shrinkage (acquired resistance). To identify novel therapeutic agents for overcoming these resistances, we applied a high-throughput screening of chemicals administered in combination with GC. Methods and Findings As a high-throughput screening, 2100 compounds were administered alone or in combination with GC to human BC cell lines (J82, UMUC-3). Cell viability was determined after 3-day incubation and chemicals that enhanced inhibitory effect of GC were screened. The initial screening identified 26 compounds and further validation narrowed them into the most synergistic agent disulfiram (DSF), an FDA-approved drug for alcoholism. Combination index assay showed synergistic effects of DSF with cisplatin but not with gemcitabine in J82, UMUC-3, T24, HT1197 and HT1376 cells. Co-administration of DSF significantly enhanced apoptosis by GC treatment in UMUC-3 and T24 cells, with significant increase of reactive oxygen species (ROS) production. DSF-induced apoptosis was attenuated in the presence of N-acetyl L-cysteine and Trolox, ROS scavengers. Use of DSF in combination with GC (GCD) significantly inhibited tumor growth of UMUC-3 subcutaneous xenograft on athymic mice (by 39% compared with GC alone, p = 0.02). GCD regimen was as tolerable as GC and no significant differences were observed in body weight of treated mice between the two regimen. Conclusion Repositioning of DSF to a chemotherapy sensitizer is a promising treatment strategy, which can be translated rapidly in the future. Citation Format: Yuki Kita, Takashi Kobayashi, Norihiko Masuda, Atsuro Sawada, Yoshiyuki Matsui, Takahiro Inoue, Tomomi Kamba, Osamu Ogawa. High-throughput chemical screening for sensitization of bladder cancer to gemcitabine and cisplatin chemotherapy. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 107th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2016 Apr 16-20; New Orleans, LA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(14 Suppl):Abstract nr 5046.