c-Jun-NH2-terminal kinase potentiates apoptotic cell death in response to carboplatin in B lymphoma cells

Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry-Based Metabolomic Profiling Reveals Alterations in Mouse Plasma and Liver in Response to Fava Beans

Favism is a life-threatening hemolytic anemia resulting from the intake of fava beans by susceptible individuals with low erythrocytic glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) activity. However, little is known about the metabolomic changes in plasma and liver after the intake of fava beans in G6PD normal and deficient states. In this study, gas chromatography/mass spectrometry was used to analyze the plasma and liver metabolic alterations underlying the effects of fava beans in C3H- and G6PD-deficient (G6PDx) mice, and to find potential biomarkers and metabolic changes associated with favism. Our results showed that fava beans induced oxidative stress in both C3H and G6PDx mice. Significantly, metabolomic differences were observed in plasma and liver between the control and fava bean treated groups of both C3H and G6PDx mice. The levels of 7 and 21 metabolites in plasma showed significant differences between C3H-control (C3H-C)- and C3H fava beans-treated (C3H-FB) mice, and G6PDx-control (G6PDx-C)- and G6PDx fava beans-treated (G6PDx-FB) mice, respectively. Similarly, the levels of 7 and 25 metabolites in the liver showed significant differences between C3H and C3H-FB, and G6PDx and G6PDx-FB, respectively. The levels of oleic acid, linoleic acid, and creatinine were significantly increased in the plasma of both C3H-FB and G6PDx-FB mice. In the liver, more metabolic alterations were observed in G6PDx-FB mice than in C3H-FB mice, and were involved in a sugar, fatty acids, amino acids, cholesterol biosynthesis, the urea cycle, and the nucleotide metabolic pathway. These findings suggest that oleic acid, linoleic acid, and creatinine may be potential biomarkers of the response to fava beans in C3H and G6PDx mice and therefore that oleic acid and linoleic acid may be involved in oxidative stress induced by fava beans. This study demonstrates that G6PD activity in mice can affect their metabolic pathways in response to fava beans.

Cisplatin resistance in human cervical, ovarian and lung cancer cells

PURPOSE

This study was performed to determine whether or not in cervical, ovarian and lung cancer cell lines, free radicals (ROS) play a role in cisplatin cytotoxicity and activation of the mitochondrial and JNK/p38 pathways. The role of the enzyme, dihydrodiol dehydrogenase (DDH1), in the activation/deactivation of this pathway and how this may be related to the development of resistance was also investigated.

METHODS

Mitochondrial membrane potential and ROS analysis were performed by flow cytometry, P-JNK and P-p38 by western blotting and mRNA by RT-PCR. Dihydrodiol dehydrogenase (DDH1) and thioredoxin knockdowns were prepared by standard techniques.

RESULTS

Cisplatin treatment of a cervical cancer cell line resulted in ROS production with mitochondrial membrane depolarization and phosphorylation of JNK and p38. N-acetyl-cysteine, a free radical scavenger, ameliorated these effects. Treatment of the sensitive cells with H2O2 produced similar effects but at shorter incubation times. Similar results were observed with an ovarian cell line. Downregulation of dihydrodiol dehydrogenase in the cisplatin-resistant cervical and lung cancer cell lines resulted in increased drug sensitivity with detectable production of ROS and activation of the JNK/p38 pathways; however, downregulation of thioredoxin in the cervical cells had minimal effect.

CONCLUSION

Dihydrodiol dehydrogenase appears to play a role in cisplatin resistance in cervical, ovarian and lung cancer cells which includes mitochondrial membrane depolarization, ROS production and activation of the JNK pathway. However, its mode of action cannot be mimicked by an ROS scavenger so its mechanism of action is more complex (a not unexpected finding considering its role in xenobiotic activation/countering oxidative stress).

Sensitization of mesothelioma cells to platinum-based chemotherapy by GSTπ knockdown

It is predicted that the incidence of mesothelioma will increase and thus it is important to find new ways to treat this chemoresistant tumor. Glutathione-S-Transferase π (GSTπ) is found at significant levels in mesotheliomas and thus attenuating its intracellular levels may provide a means of sensitizing mesothelioma cells to chemotherapy. GSTπ knockdowns were therefore prepared with shRNA (less off-target effects) employing two cell lines (211H, H2452) that were typed by immunohistochemistry to be of mesothelial origin. The knockdowns exhibited a decrease in both total GST enzyme activity and GSTπ protein levels as well as an increase in both glutathione levels and sensitivity to cis and oxaliplatin. Cisplatin treatment of the knockdowns increased ROS levels significantly (as compared to the parental cells) and produced activation of the JNK/p38 pathways and activating transcription factor (ATF2). The degree of activation and increase in ROS appeared to correlate with the cell line's sensitivity to cisplatin. Treatment with N-Acetyl Cysteine decreased ROS production and JNK/p38 phosphorylation but had minimal affect on ATF2 suggesting a direct interaction of GTPπ with this transcription factor. Oxaliplatin treatment produced only minimal changes in ROS levels and activation of the JNK/p38 pathway. Recently, new methods of siRNA delivery (nanoparticles) have been shown to be effective in decreasing the levels of target proteins in humans including candidate genes involved in drug resistance - thus this approach may have promise in sensitizing cisplatin-resistant tumors to chemotherapy.

Apoptosis of K562 leukemia cells by Abnobaviscum F®, a European mistletoe extract

Evidence suggests that mistletoe extract has the potential to be used as an anticancer agent. Abnobaviscum F® is a European mistletoe extract from the host tree Fraxinus. We investigated the effect of Abnobaviscum F on the growth and survival of different leukemia cell lines. Abnobaviscum F treatment strongly reduced survival and induced apoptosis of K562 (human myeloid leukemia), RPMI-8226 (human plasmacytoma) and L1210 (murine lymphocytic leukemia) cells in culture. Using K562 cells to further investigate the mechanism of action of Abnobaviscum F, we showed that Abnobaviscum F-induced cell death was associated with the activation of caspase-9, JNK-1/2 and p38 MAPK, as well as with the downregulation of Mcl-1, and inhibition of ERK-1/2 and PKB phosphorylation. Moreover, Abnobaviscum F treatment led to both a reduction of cellular glutathione (GSH) and the induction of ER stress (GRP78 and CHOP induction and eIF-2α phosphorylation). By contrast, Abnobaviscum F did not impact the expression of the DR4 and DR5 death receptors. The Abnobaviscum F-induced apoptosis of K562 cells was blocked by pretreatment with either GSH, z-VAD-fmk or SP600125. Our results, therefore, show that Abnobaviscum F induces apoptosis of K562 cells through the activation of the intrinsic caspase pathway, the phosphorylation of JNK-1, the reduction of cellular GSH, and the induction of ER stress.

Apoptosis signal-regulating kinase (ASK)-1 mediates apoptosis through activation of JNK1 following engagement of membrane immunoglobulin

Engagement of membrane immunoglobulin (mIg) on WEHI-231 mouse B lymphoma cells results in growth arrest at the G1 phase of the cell cycle, followed by a reduction of mitochondrial membrane potential (DeltaPsim) and apoptosis. WEHI-231 cells resemble immature B cells in terms of the cell surface phenotype and sensitivity to mIg engagement. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying mIg-induced loss of DeltaPsim and apoptosis have not yet been established. In this study, we show that apoptosis signal-regulating kinase 1 (ASK1)-c-Jun N-terminal kinase 1 (JNK1) signaling pathway participates in mIg-induced apoptosis through the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Stimulation of WEHI-231 cells with anti-IgM induces phosphorylation and subsequent activation of ASK1, leading to JNK activation. Anti-IgM stimulation immediately (5 min) induces hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) production with a substantial increase during later time points (36-48 h), accompanied by loss of DeltaPsim and an increase in cells with sub-G1 DNA content. The anti-IgM-induced late-phase H2O2 production, loss of DeltaPsim, and increase in the sub-G1 fraction were all reduced substantially in WEHI-231 cells overexpressing a dominant-negative form of ASK1, compared with control vector alone, but enhanced substantially in cells overexpressing a constitutively active form of ASK1. These mIg-mediated events were also partially abrogated by ROS scavenger N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC). Taken together, these results suggest that mIg engagement induces H2O2 production leading to activation of ASK1-JNK1 pathway, creating a feedback amplification loop of ROS-ASK/JNK that leads to loss of DeltaPsim and finally apoptosis.