Anti-K-ras ribozyme induces growth inhibition and increased chemosensitivity in human colon cancer cells

MiR-206 functions as a tumor suppressor and directly targets K-Ras in human oral squamous cell carcinoma

Purpose

MicroRNA-206 (miR-206) has been proven to be downregulated in many human malignancies and is correlated with tumor progression. However, the roles of miR-206 and its related molecular mechanisms in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) are still unclear. Thus, the aim of this study was to explore the effects of miR-206 in OSCC tumorigenesis and development.

Methods

Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction was used to detect miR-206 expression in OSCC cell lines and primary tumor tissues. The association of miR-206 expression with clinicopathological factors and prognosis was also analyzed. In addition, the effects of miR-206 on the biological behavior of OSCC cells were investigated. Lastly, the potential regulatory function of miR-206 on K-Ras expression was confirmed.

Results

MiR-206 expression was significantly downregulated in OSCC tissue samples and cell lines (both P<0.001). Decreased miR-206 expression was significantly associated with advanced tumor node metastasis (TNM) stage, advanced T classifications (ie, size and/or extent of the primary tumor), positive N classification (ie, spread to regional lymph nodes), and shorter overall survival. In addition, upregulation of miR-206 in Tca8113 cells was able to reduce cell proliferation, invasion, and migration and promote cell apoptosis in vitro. Further, K-Ras was confirmed as a direct target of miR-206 by using luciferase reporter assay.

Conclusion

These findings indicate that miR-206 may act as a tumor suppressor in OSCC and could serve as a novel therapeutic agent for miR-based therapy.

miR-181a shows tumor suppressive effect against oral squamous cell carcinoma cells by downregulating K-ras

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are epigenetic regulators of gene expression, and their deregulation plays an important role in human cancer, including oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). Recently, we found that miRNA-181a (miR-181a) was upregulated during replicative senescence of normal human oral keratinocytes. Since senescence is considered as a tumor suppressive mechanism, we thus investigated the expression and biological role of miR-181a in OSCC. We found that miR-181a was frequently downregulated in OSCC. Ectopic expression of miR-181a suppressed proliferation and anchorage independent growth ability of OSCC. Moreover, miR-181a dramatically reduces the growth of OSCC on three dimensional organotypic raft culture. We also identified K-ras as a novel target of miR-181a. miR-181a decreased K-ras protein level as well as the luciferase activity of reporter vectors containing the 3'-untranslated region of K-ras gene. Finally, we defined a minimal regulatory region of miR-181a and found a positive correlation between its promoter activity and the level of miR-181a expression. In conclusion, miR-181a may function as an OSCC suppressor by targeting on K-ras oncogene. Thus, miR-181a should be considered for therapeutic application for OSCC.

Ras oncogenes: split personalities

Extensive research on the Ras proteins and their functions in cell physiology over the past 30 years has led to numerous insights that have revealed the involvement of Ras not only in tumorigenesis but also in many developmental disorders. Despite great strides in our understanding of the molecular and cellular mechanisms of action of the Ras proteins, the expanding roster of their downstream effectors and the complexity of the signalling cascades that they regulate indicate that much remains to be learnt.

Enhanced sensitivity to DNA damage induced by cooking oil fumes in human OGG1 deficient cells

Cooking oil fumes (COFs) have been implicated as an important nonsmoking risk factor of lung cancer in Chinese women. However, the molecular mechanism of COFs-induced carcinogenicity remains unknown. To understand the molecular basis underlying COFs-induced cytotoxicity and genotoxicity as well as the roles of hOGG1 in the repair of COFs-induced DNA damage, a human lung cancer cell line with hOGG1 deficiency, A549-R was established by using a ribozyme gene targeting technique that specifically knockdowned hOGG1 in A549 lung adenocarcinoma cells. MTT and comet assays were employed to examine cell viability and DNA damage/repair, respectively, in A549-R and A549 cell lines treated with COF condensate (COFC). RT-PCR and Western blot results showed that the expression of hOGG1 in A549-R cell line was significantly decreased compared with that in A549 cell line. The concentration of COFC that inhibited cell growth by 50% (the IC50) in the A549-R cell line was much lower than that in the A549 cell line, and more COFC-induced DNA damage was detected in the A549-R cell line. The time course study of DNA repair demonstrated delayed repair kinetics in the A549-R cell line, suggesting a decreased cellular damage repair capacity. Our results showed that hOGG1 deficiency enhanced cellular sensitivity to DNA damage caused by COFC. The results further indicate that hOGG1 plays an important role in repairing COF-induced DNA damage. Our study suggests that COFs may lead to DNA damage that is subjected to hOGG1-mediated repair pathways, and oxidative DNA damage may be involved in COF-induced carcinogenesis.

Potential clinical application of antioncogene ribozymes for human lung cancer

Non-small-cell lung cancer frequently contains oncogenetic defects (mutations in ras, retinoblastoma, and p53 genes) that contribute to disease pathophysiology. Recent studies and clinical trials have focused on gene therapy approaches that either replace the function of defective tumor-suppressor genes such as p53 or inactivate mutant oncogenes such as ras. Ribozymes are RNA molecules with highly specific intrinsic enzymatic activity against target RNA sequences, which can discriminate mutant sequences that differ by a single base from their wild-type counterparts. Following binding to the RNA substrate by base-pair complementation, the ribozyme cleaves the target RNA irreversibly, then releases itself for new rounds of subsequent cleavage, resulting in significantly improved target:effector stoichiometry as compared with antisense oligonucleotides of the same specificity. Transcript-specific ribozymes have been used extensively for experimental oncogene inactivation. Ribozymes are effective for targeting mutant ras, p53, or the multidrug-resistant gene product for lung cancer cells in vitro. However, their in vivo effect is not well defined against this malignancy. We recently characterized the antitumor properties of an anti-K-ras ribozyme specific for the K-ras codon 12 mutation (GGT-->GTT). When delivered as a transgene by an adenoviral vector (ADV), the K-ras ribozyme (KRbz) suppressed growth of lung tumor xenografts expressing the relevant mutation, whereas the corresponding antisense sequence lacking catalytic activity did not. Multiple intratumoral (3-5) injections of KRbz-ADV were effective in producing complete tumor regressions of preexisting tumor xenografts. Clinical trials are under consideration to examine the applicability of this anti-K-ras ribozyme for treatment of non-small-cell lung cancers expressing the relevant mutation.

A sensitive dual-fluorescence reporter system enables positive selection of ras suppressors by suppression of ras-induced apoptosis

We have developed a novel dual-fluorescence reporter system incorporating green (GFP) and red (RFP) fluorescent proteins to monitor expression of the N-ras(m) gene and an N-ras(m) suppressor, respectively. Retroviral vectors were produced in which human N-ras(m) (codon 13 mutation) was coexpressed with GFP, and a ribozyme specifically targeting N-ras(m) was coexpressed with RFP. N-Ras(m) suppression was monitored by measurement of GFP fluorescence in dual-fluorescent (GFP and RFP) cells. We demonstrated that the degree of N-ras(m) suppression was dependent on the ribozyme dose, proportional to red fluorescence, in dual-fluorescent cells. We further showed that ribozyme-mediated N-ras(m)suppression inhibited growth of NIH3T3 and CD34-positive TF-1 cells. In these cultures, ras suppressor activity resulted in the depletion of suppressor-positive cells due to inhibition of cell growth. In contrast, N-ras(m) suppression produced a growth advantage to human leukemic K562 cells, presumably by inhibiting N-ras(m)-induced apoptosis. In K562 cells, ras suppression resulted in the outgrowth of suppressor-positive cells. This provides a platform to identify suppressors of ras that is based on function.

Hammerhead ribozyme-mediated cleavage of the fusion transcript NPM-ALK associated with anaplastic large-cell lymphoma

OBJECTIVE

Approximately 60% of all anaplastic large-cell lymphomas (ALCL) contain a specific t(2;5)(p23;q35) chromosomal translocation leading to overexpression of NPM-ALK. As the chimeric tyrosine kinase is involved in tumorigenesis and pathogenesis of ALCL, we were interested to inhibit NPM-ALK expression using an exogenous and an endogenous ribozyme approach.

METHODS

We designed five anti-ALK hammerhead ribozymes that were targeted to cleave the ALK proportion of NPM-ALK. The ribozyme with the highest cleavage activity was used as a modified RNA/DNA chimera (RZ1*) for transient transfection and as a self-splicing ribozyme vector (pRZ1) for endogenous expression. Ribozyme performance was tested in 293 cells (cotransfected with NPM-ALK) and in the ALCL cell line Karpas 299 by transient and stable transfection and Western blotting. The half-life time of NPM-ALK was determined by pulse-chase experiments.

RESULTS

In vitro cleavage assays demonstrated different catalytic efficiencies depending on the targeted site of the substrate. Constant transfection of Karpas 299 cells with RZ1* for 96 hours did not lead to a significant reduction of NPM-ALK protein, presumably due to the long half-life of NPM-ALK (48 hours). In contrast, NPM-ALK protein expression was almost completely suppressed in transiently transfected 293 cells. Stable transfection of Karpas 299 cells with pRZ1 also resulted in significant reduction of NPM-ALK expression.

CONCLUSION

These results suggest that ribozymes targeted against NPM-ALK are able to inhibit expression of this oncogenic kinase efficiently and will be a useful tool to analyze its role in the pathophysiology of ALCL.

Chemically modified ribozyme targeting TNF-alpha mRNA regulates TNF-alpha and IL-6 synthesis in synovial fibroblasts of patients with rheumatoid arthritis

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is chronic polyarthritis in which a variety of inflammatory cytokines play a role. Since tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) is one of the most important cytokines in the pathogenesis of RA, we evaluated the feasibility of ribozymes as a therapeutic agent to control the inflammatory process of RA synovium. A hammerhead ribozyme against TNF-alpha was chemically modified to increase nuclease resistance and added to RA fibroblastlike cell cultures without using a delivery system. The cellular uptake of fluorescent-labeled ribozyme into synovial cells was found to last at least 48 hr by confocal laser scanning microscopy. The ribozyme targeting TNF-alpha gene inhibited both the expression of TNF-alpha mRNA and the secretion of TNF-alpha and IL-6. The cytotoxic effect by the ribozyme on synovial cells was negligible when determined by an alamar blue assay. Chemically modified ribozymes designed to suppress the TNF-alpha gene may be potential as a therapeutic agent for rheumatoid arthritis.

Adenoviral delivery of A-FOS, an AP-1 dominant negative, selectively inhibits drug resistance in two human cancer cell lines

Activator protein-1 (AP-1) transcription factor has been linked to chemotherapeutic resistance. To assess the clinical efficacy of AP-1 inhibition toward reversing drug resistance, we have developed an adenovirus expressing a dominant negative that inhibits AP-1 DNA binding, namedAdA-FOS. We examined the consequence of AdA-FOS infection on two paired human cancer cell lines, each pair consisting of a parental cell and the drug- resistant derivative. The first pair of cells is the parental human ovarian cancer cell line A2780 and the cisplatin-resistant A2780/CP70 cell line. The second pair of cells is the parental epidermal carcinoma cell line KB8 and the multidrug-resistant (mdr) KB85 cell line. Because of an association of up-regulated AP-1 activity with their drug resistance, these cell lines were considered good targets of AdA-FOS therapy. Following infection of the drug-sensitive and drug-resistant cells, we observed a significant decrease in cell viability of KB85 and A2780/CP70 cells at drug doses normally not lethal to the cell. The parental cell lines, A2780 and KB8 cells, were not similarly affected by AdA-FOS. This decrease in viability was specific to AdA-FOS as an adenovirus control (Advector) did not reverse drug resistance. Although the efficiency of AdA- FOS in therapy would need to be further analyzed with other cisplatin-resistant and mdr cell lines, these results suggest that AP-1 is a therapeutic molecular target and that inhibition of AP-1 DNA binding may be of clinical value in treating chemotherapeutic resistance.

The metastasis gene osteopontin: a candidate target for cancer therapy

Malignant tumors are characterized by dysregulated growth control, overcoming of replicative senescence, and metastasis formation. Current therapeutic regimens mostly exert their effects through inhibition of cell cycle progression, leaving two major components of transformation untouched. The cytokine osteopontin is essential for the dissemination of various cancers. Past research has implied several modes in which osteopontin and its main receptors on tumor cells can be suppressed. Osteopontin expression is inhibitable on the levels of gene transcription and the RNA message, and the osteopontin protein can be blocked with antibodies or synthetic peptides. The osteopontin receptor CD44 has been targeted by diverse therapeutic strategies, including cytotoxic and immunotherapeutic approaches. The receptor integrin alpha(V)beta(3) contributes not only to tumor cell dissemination, but also to angiogenesis and osteolysis in bone metastases. Small molecule inhibitors of this receptor are under study as drug candidates. Because receptors and cytokine ligands that mediate metastasis formation are sparsely expressed in the adult healthy organism and are more readily reached by pharmaceuticals than intracellular drug targets they may represent a particularly suitable focus for therapeutic intervention.

Cancer gene therapy: fringe or cutting edge?

Direct targeting of cancer cells with gene therapy has the potential to treat cancer on the basis of its molecular characteristics. But although laboratory results have been extremely encouraging, many practical obstacles need to be overcome before gene therapy can fulfil its goals in the clinic. These issues are not trivial, but seem less formidable than the challenge of killing cancers selectively and rationally--a challenge that has been successfully addressed.

Ribozyme-mediated cleavage of wt1 transcripts suppresses growth of leukemia cells

OBJECTIVE

The Wilms' tumor gene product (WT1) was identified as a tumor suppressor in pediatric kidney tumors. Conversely, acute leukemias express WT1 at a high frequency, and leukemias with high levels of WT1 expressed by leukemic blast cells have a significantly worse prognosis, suggesting an oncogenic function of WT1 in leukemic cells. To address this issue, we developed five hammerhead ribozymes (RZ1-RZ5) designed to cleave various wt1-mRNA GUC-recognition sites and thus suppress wt1 expression.

METHODS

Using in vitro transcribed ribozymes and truncated wt1 target RNAs as substrates, we performed in vitro cleavage assays. The sequence of two ribozymes was then cloned into the pCDNA3 expression vector containing a self-processing ribozyme cassette. Downregulation of wt1 due to ribozyme expression was analyzed in the human 293 embryonic kidney and the K562 chronic myeloid leukemia cell line by Western blotting and RT-PCR. Growth of stable transfected K562 cells was determined by proliferation analysis and 3H-thymidine incorporation.

RESULTS

In vitro, the anti-wt1 ribozymes were able to recognize and cleave the target RNA in a highly sequence-specific and time-dependent manner. The ribozymes showed different catalytic activity. Coexpression of wt1 and the self-processing ribozymes pRZ3 and pRZ5, respectively, resulted in a significantly downregulated WT1 protein level when transiently transfected in 293 cells. Furthermore, stable transfection of pRZ3 and pRZ5 resulted in considerably reduced expression of endogenous wt1 in K562 cells, correlating with the inhibition of cell proliferation and the induction of cell death.

CONCLUSION

Our data suggest that anti-wt1 ribozymes are a potent inhibitor of wt1 expression with possible implications for the inhibition of cell proliferation in leukemic cells.

Potential of ribozymes against deoxycytidine kinase to confer drug resistance to cytosine nucleoside analogs

Hematopoietic toxicity is the dose-limiting side effect produced in cancer chemotherapy with deoxycytidine nucleoside analogs. Deletion of the deoxycytidine kinase (dCK), results in a drug resistance phenotype to these analogs. An interesting gene therapy strategy to confer drug resistance to cytosine nucleoside analogs would be to specifically inactivate the dCK in normal hematopoietic stem cell. In this study, we designed hammerhead ribozymes that can specifically cut and downregulate the murine dCK mRNA. Three different ribozymes were identified and shown to cleave in vitro the dCK RNA. After introduction of ribozyme cDNA into murine L1210 leukemic cells by retroviral transfer, two of the ribozymes showed some capacity in reducing dCK activity. However, analysis of transduced L1210 clones showed that the significant reduction in the dCK mRNA was not sufficient to confer drug resistance to cytosine arabinoside. Nevertheless, these results provide a new avenue of modulating the dCK enzyme activity and with improved modifications may have the potential for use in gene therapy to confer drug resistance to deoxycytidine analogs.