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Paudel BB, Tan SF, Fox TE, Ung J, Golla U, Shaw JJP, Dunton W, Lee I, Fares WA, Patel S, Sharma A, Viny AD, Barth BM, Tallman MS, Cabot M, Garrett-Bakelman FE, Levine RL, Kester M, Feith DJ, Claxton D, Janes KA, Loughran TP. Acute myeloid leukemia stratifies as 2 clinically relevant sphingolipidomic subtypes. Blood Adv 2024; 8:1137-1142. [PMID: 38170742 PMCID: PMC10909712 DOI: 10.1182/bloodadvances.2023010535] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2023] [Revised: 10/06/2023] [Accepted: 10/27/2023] [Indexed: 01/05/2024] Open
Affiliation(s)
- B. Bishal Paudel
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA
| | - Su-Fern Tan
- Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology & Oncology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA
| | - Todd E. Fox
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA
| | - Johnson Ung
- Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology & Oncology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA
- Department of Microbiology/Immunology/Cancer Biology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA
| | - Upendarrao Golla
- Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology and Oncology, Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, Hershey, PA
| | - Jeremy J. P. Shaw
- Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology & Oncology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA
| | - Wendy Dunton
- Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology & Oncology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA
| | - Irene Lee
- Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology & Oncology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA
- Department of Internal Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX
| | - Wisam A. Fares
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA
| | - Satyam Patel
- Department of Pharmacology, Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, Hershey, PA
| | - Arati Sharma
- Department of Pharmacology, Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, Hershey, PA
- Penn State Cancer Institute, Hershey, PA
| | - Aaron D. Viny
- Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology & Oncology, and of Genetics & Development, Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center, New York, NY
- Columbia Stem Cell Initiative, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY
| | - Brian M. Barth
- Department of Chemistry, Biology, and Health Sciences, South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, Rapid City, SD
- Department of Natural Sciences, University of Alaska Southeast, Juneau, AK
| | - Martin S. Tallman
- Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL
| | - Myles Cabot
- Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC
- East Carolina Diabetes and Obesity Institute, Brody School of Medicine, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC
| | - Francine E. Garrett-Bakelman
- Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology & Oncology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA
- Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Genetics, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA
- University of Virginia Cancer Center, Charlottesville, VA
| | - Ross L. Levine
- Human Oncology and Pathogenesis Program and Leukemia Service, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY
- Department of Medicine, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY
| | - Mark Kester
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA
| | - David J. Feith
- Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology & Oncology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA
- University of Virginia Cancer Center, Charlottesville, VA
| | - David Claxton
- Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology and Oncology, Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, Hershey, PA
- Penn State Cancer Institute, Hershey, PA
| | - Kevin A. Janes
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA
- Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Genetics, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA
- University of Virginia Cancer Center, Charlottesville, VA
| | - Thomas P. Loughran
- Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology & Oncology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA
- University of Virginia Cancer Center, Charlottesville, VA
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2
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Ohya Y, Ogiso Y, Matsuda M, Sakae H, Nishida K, Miki Y, Fox TE, Kester M, Sakamoto W, Nabe T, Kitatani K. Pronecroptotic Therapy Using Ceramide Nanoliposomes Is Effective for Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Cells. Cells 2024; 13:405. [PMID: 38474369 DOI: 10.3390/cells13050405] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2024] [Revised: 02/16/2024] [Accepted: 02/22/2024] [Indexed: 03/14/2024] Open
Abstract
Regulated necrosis, termed necroptosis, represents a potential therapeutic target for refractory cancer. Ceramide nanoliposomes (CNLs), considered potential chemotherapeutic agents, induce necroptosis by targeting the activating protein mixed lineage kinase domain-like protein (MLKL). In the present study, we examined the potential of pronecroptotic therapy using CNLs for refractory triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), for which there is a lack of definite and effective therapeutic targets among the various immunohistological subtypes of breast cancer. MLKL mRNA expression in tumor tissues was significantly higher in TNBC patients than in those with non-TNBC subtypes. Similarly, among the 50 breast cancer cell lines examined, MLKL expression was higher in TNBC-classified cell lines. TNBC cell lines were more susceptible to the therapeutic effects of CNLs than the non-TNBC subtypes of breast cancer cell lines. In TNBC-classified MDA-MB-231 cells, the knockdown of MLKL suppressed cell death induced by CNLs or the active substance short-chain C6-ceramide. Accordingly, TNBC cells were prone to CNL-evoked necroptotic cell death. These results will contribute to the development of CNL-based pronecroptotic therapy for TNBC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuki Ohya
- Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Setsunan University, Hirakata 573-0101, Japan
| | - Yuri Ogiso
- Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Setsunan University, Hirakata 573-0101, Japan
| | - Masaya Matsuda
- Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Setsunan University, Hirakata 573-0101, Japan
| | - Harumi Sakae
- Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Setsunan University, Hirakata 573-0101, Japan
| | - Kentaro Nishida
- Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Setsunan University, Hirakata 573-0101, Japan
| | - Yasuhiro Miki
- Department of Pathology, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, Sendai 980-8575, Japan
| | - Todd E Fox
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22908-8735, USA
| | - Mark Kester
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22908-8735, USA
| | - Wataru Sakamoto
- Research Center of Oncology, Ono Pharmaceutical, Co., Ltd., Osaka 618-8585, Japan
| | - Takeshi Nabe
- Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Setsunan University, Hirakata 573-0101, Japan
| | - Kazuyuki Kitatani
- Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Setsunan University, Hirakata 573-0101, Japan
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3
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Ciner A, Gourdin T, Davidson J, Parette M, Walker SJ, Fox TE, Jiang Y. A phase I study of the ceramide nanoliposome in patients with advanced solid tumors. Cancer Chemother Pharmacol 2024; 93:23-29. [PMID: 37736793 PMCID: PMC10796569 DOI: 10.1007/s00280-023-04588-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2023] [Accepted: 09/05/2023] [Indexed: 09/23/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE Ceramide is a sphingolipid metabolite that deactivates multiple oncogenic signaling pathways and promotes cell death. In-vivo data demonstrate single-agent anti-cancer activity and enhanced efficacy with combination strategies. This phase I dose-escalation trial evaluated Ceramide nanoLiposomes (CNL) in patients with advanced solid tumors and no standard treatment option. METHODS The primary objective was to establish the maximum tolerated dose. Secondary objectives included determining the recommended phase II dose, the safety and tolerability, the pharmacokinetic profile and preliminary anti-tumor efficacy. RESULTS 15 patients with heavily pretreated metastatic disease enrolled. Safety data were analyzed for all patients, while pharmacokinetic data were available for 14 patients. There were no grade 3 or higher treatment-related adverse events. The maximum tolerated dose was not reached and there were no dose-limiting toxicities. The most common grade 1 or 2 treatment-related adverse events included headache, fatigue, constipation, nausea and transaminitis. The maximum concentration and area under the curve increased with dose. Clearance was consistent between doses and was observed mainly through the liver without significant hepatotoxicity. The half-life ranged from 20 to 30 h and the volume of distribution was consistent with a lipophilic drug. CONCLUSIONS CNL exhibited an encouraging safety profile and pharmacokinetic parameters, with some signals of efficacy including prolonged stable disease in 1 patient with refractory pancreatic cancer. Pre-clinical data indicate potential synergy between CNL and multiple systemic therapies including chemotherapy, targeted therapy, and immunotherapy. Future studies are planned investigating CNL in combination strategies. TRIAL REGISTRATION This study is registered under ClinicalTrials.gov ID: NCT02834611.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aaron Ciner
- Department of Medicine, University of Maryland Greenebaum Comprehensive Cancer Center, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Theodore Gourdin
- Department of Medicine, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, USA
| | | | | | - Susan J Walker
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA
| | - Todd E Fox
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA
| | - Yixing Jiang
- Department of Medicine, University of Maryland Greenebaum Comprehensive Cancer Center, Baltimore, MD, USA.
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4
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Ung J, Tan SF, Fox TE, Shaw JJP, Taori M, Horton BJ, Golla U, Sharma A, Szulc ZM, Wang HG, Chalfant CE, Cabot MC, Claxton DF, Loughran TP, Feith DJ. Acid Ceramidase Inhibitor LCL-805 Antagonizes Akt Signaling and Promotes Iron-Dependent Cell Death in Acute Myeloid Leukemia. Cancers (Basel) 2023; 15:5866. [PMID: 38136410 PMCID: PMC10742122 DOI: 10.3390/cancers15245866] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2023] [Revised: 11/28/2023] [Accepted: 11/30/2023] [Indexed: 12/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is an aggressive hematologic malignancy requiring urgent treatment advancements. Ceramide is a cell-death-promoting signaling lipid that plays a central role in therapy-induced cell death. We previously determined that acid ceramidase (AC), a ceramide-depleting enzyme, is overexpressed in AML and promotes leukemic survival and drug resistance. The ceramidase inhibitor B-13 and next-generation lysosomal-localizing derivatives termed dimethylglycine (DMG)-B-13 prodrugs have been developed but remain untested in AML. Here, we report the in vitro anti-leukemic efficacy and mechanism of DMG-B-13 prodrug LCL-805 across AML cell lines and primary patient samples. LCL-805 inhibited AC enzymatic activity, increased total ceramides, and reduced sphingosine levels. A median EC50 value of 11.7 μM was achieved for LCL-805 in cell viability assays across 32 human AML cell lines. As a single agent tested across a panel of 71 primary AML patient samples, a median EC50 value of 15.8 μM was achieved. Exogenous ceramide supplementation with C6-ceramide nanoliposomes, which is entering phase I/II clinical trial for relapsed/refractory AML, significantly enhanced LCL-805 killing. Mechanistically, LCL-805 antagonized Akt signaling and led to iron-dependent cell death distinct from canonical ferroptosis. These findings elucidated key factors involved in LCL-805 cytotoxicity and demonstrated the potency of combining AC inhibition with exogenous ceramide.
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Affiliation(s)
- Johnson Ung
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Cancer Biology, University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville, VA 22908, USA
| | - Su-Fern Tan
- Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology & Oncology, University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville, VA 22908, USA; (S.-F.T.); (T.E.F.); (J.J.P.S.); (M.T.); (C.E.C.)
- University of Virginia Cancer Center, University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville, VA 22908, USA
| | - Todd E. Fox
- Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology & Oncology, University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville, VA 22908, USA; (S.-F.T.); (T.E.F.); (J.J.P.S.); (M.T.); (C.E.C.)
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville, VA 22908, USA
| | - Jeremy J. P. Shaw
- Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology & Oncology, University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville, VA 22908, USA; (S.-F.T.); (T.E.F.); (J.J.P.S.); (M.T.); (C.E.C.)
| | - Maansi Taori
- Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology & Oncology, University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville, VA 22908, USA; (S.-F.T.); (T.E.F.); (J.J.P.S.); (M.T.); (C.E.C.)
| | - Bethany J. Horton
- Department of Public Health Sciences, Division of Translational Research and Applied Statistics, University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville, VA 22908, USA;
| | - Upendarrao Golla
- Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology and Oncology, Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, Hershey, PA 17033, USA; (U.G.); (D.F.C.)
| | - Arati Sharma
- Department of Pharmacology, Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, Hershey, PA 17033, USA;
- Penn State Cancer Institute, Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, Hershey, PA 17033, USA;
| | - Zdzislaw M. Szulc
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Medical University of South Carolina College of Medicine, Charleston, SC 29425, USA;
| | - Hong-Gang Wang
- Penn State Cancer Institute, Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, Hershey, PA 17033, USA;
| | - Charles E. Chalfant
- Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology & Oncology, University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville, VA 22908, USA; (S.-F.T.); (T.E.F.); (J.J.P.S.); (M.T.); (C.E.C.)
- University of Virginia Cancer Center, University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville, VA 22908, USA
- Research Service, Richmond Veterans Administration Medical Center, Richmond, VA 23249, USA
| | - Myles C. Cabot
- East Carolina Diabetes and Obesity Institute, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC 27858, USA;
- Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, Brody School of Medicine, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC 27834, USA
| | - David F. Claxton
- Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology and Oncology, Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, Hershey, PA 17033, USA; (U.G.); (D.F.C.)
- Penn State Cancer Institute, Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, Hershey, PA 17033, USA;
| | - Thomas P. Loughran
- Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology & Oncology, University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville, VA 22908, USA; (S.-F.T.); (T.E.F.); (J.J.P.S.); (M.T.); (C.E.C.)
- University of Virginia Cancer Center, University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville, VA 22908, USA
| | - David J. Feith
- Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology & Oncology, University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville, VA 22908, USA; (S.-F.T.); (T.E.F.); (J.J.P.S.); (M.T.); (C.E.C.)
- University of Virginia Cancer Center, University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville, VA 22908, USA
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5
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Ung J, Tan SF, Fox TE, Shaw JJ, Taori M, Horton BJ, Golla U, Sharma A, Szulc ZM, Wang HG, Chalfant CE, Cabot MC, Claxton DF, Loughran TP, Feith DJ. Acid Ceramidase Inhibitor LCL-805 Antagonizes Akt Signaling and Promotes Iron-Dependent Cell Death in Acute Myeloid Leukemia. bioRxiv 2023:2023.10.21.563437. [PMID: 37961314 PMCID: PMC10634704 DOI: 10.1101/2023.10.21.563437] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2023]
Abstract
Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is an aggressive hematologic malignancy requiring urgent treatment advancements. Ceramide is a cell death-promoting signaling lipid that plays a central role in therapy-induced cell death. Acid ceramidase (AC), a ceramide-depleting enzyme, is overexpressed in AML and promotes leukemic survival and drug resistance. The ceramidase inhibitor B-13 and next-generation lysosomal-localizing derivatives termed dimethylglycine (DMG)-B-13 prodrugs have been developed but remain untested in AML. Here, we report the in vitro anti-leukemic efficacy and mechanism of DMG-B-13 prodrug, LCL-805, across AML cell lines and primary patient samples. LCL-805 inhibited AC enzymatic activity, increased total ceramides, and reduced sphingosine levels. A median EC50 value of 11.7 μM was achieved for LCL-805 in cell viability assays across 32 human AML cell lines. As a single agent tested across a panel of 71 primary AML patient samples, a median EC50 value of 15.8 μM was achieved. Exogenous ceramide supplementation with C6-ceramide nanoliposomes, which is entering phase I/II clinical trial for relapsed/refractory AML, significantly enhanced LCL-805 killing. Mechanistically, LCL-805 antagonized Akt signaling and led to iron-dependent cell death distinct from canonical ferroptosis. These findings elucidated key factors involved in LCL-805 cytotoxicity and demonstrated the potency of combining AC inhibition with exogenous ceramide.
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6
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Feng TY, Melchor SJ, Zhao XY, Ghumman H, Kester M, Fox TE, Ewald SE. Tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle, sphingolipid, and phosphatidylcholine metabolism are dysregulated in T. gondii infection-induced cachexia. Heliyon 2023; 9:e17411. [PMID: 37456044 PMCID: PMC10344712 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e17411] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2023] [Revised: 06/15/2023] [Accepted: 06/15/2023] [Indexed: 07/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Cachexia is a life-threatening disease characterized by chronic, inflammatory muscle wasting and systemic metabolic impairment. Despite its high prevalence, there are no efficacious therapies for cachexia. Mice chronically infected with the protozoan parasite Toxoplasma gondii represent a novel animal model recapitulating the chronic kinetics of cachexia. To understand how perturbations to metabolic tissue homeostasis influence circulating metabolite availability we used mass spectrometry analysis. Despite the significant reduction in circulating triacylglycerides, non-esterified fatty acids, and glycerol, sphingolipid long-chain bases and a subset of phosphatidylcholines (PCs) were significantly increased in the sera of mice with T. gondii infection-induced cachexia. In addition, the TCA cycle intermediates α-ketoglutarate, 2-hydroxyglutarate, succinate, fumarate, and malate were highly depleted in cachectic mouse sera. Sphingolipids and their de novo synthesis precursors PCs are the major components of the mitochondrial membrane and regulate mitochondrial function consistent with a causal relationship in the energy imbalance driving T. gondii-induced chronic cachexia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tzu-Yu Feng
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cancer Biology and The Carter Immunology Center, University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville, VA, 22908, USA
| | - Stephanie J. Melchor
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cancer Biology and The Carter Immunology Center, University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville, VA, 22908, USA
| | - Xiao-Yu Zhao
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cancer Biology and The Carter Immunology Center, University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville, VA, 22908, USA
| | - Haider Ghumman
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cancer Biology and The Carter Immunology Center, University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville, VA, 22908, USA
| | - Mark Kester
- Department of Pharmacology at the University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville, VA, 22908, USA
| | - Todd E. Fox
- Department of Pharmacology at the University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville, VA, 22908, USA
| | - Sarah E. Ewald
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cancer Biology and The Carter Immunology Center, University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville, VA, 22908, USA
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7
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Paudel BB, Tan SF, Fox TE, Ung J, Shaw J, Dunton W, Lee I, Sharma A, Viny AD, Barth BM, Tallman MS, Cabot M, Garrett-Bakelman FE, Levine RL, Kester M, Claxton D, Feith DJ, Janes KA, Loughran TP. Acute myeloid leukemia stratifies as two clinically relevant sphingolipidomic subtypes. bioRxiv 2023:2023.04.13.536805. [PMID: 37131653 PMCID: PMC10153188 DOI: 10.1101/2023.04.13.536805] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is an aggressive disease with complex and heterogeneous biology. Although several genomic classifications have been proposed, there is a growing interest in going beyond genomics to stratify AML. In this study, we profile the sphingolipid family of bioactive molecules in 213 primary AML samples and 30 common human AML cell lines. Using an integrative approach, we identify two distinct sphingolipid subtypes in AML characterized by a reciprocal abundance of hexosylceramide (Hex) and sphingomyelin (SM) species. The two Hex-SM clusters organize diverse samples more robustly than known AML driver mutations and are coupled to latent transcriptional states. Using transcriptomic data, we develop a machine-learning classifier to infer the Hex-SM status of AML cases in TCGA and BeatAML clinical repositories. The analyses show that the sphingolipid subtype with deficient Hex and abundant SM is enriched for leukemic stemness transcriptional programs and comprises an unappreciated high-risk subgroup with poor clinical outcomes. Our sphingolipid-focused examination of AML identifies patients least likely to benefit from standard of care and raises the possibility that sphingolipidomic interventions could switch the subtype of AML patients who otherwise lack targetable alternatives.
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Affiliation(s)
- B. Bishal Paudel
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA
| | - Su-Fern Tan
- Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology & Oncology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA
| | - Todd E. Fox
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA
| | - Johnson Ung
- Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology & Oncology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology & Cancer Biology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA
| | - Jeremy Shaw
- Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology & Oncology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA
| | - Wendy Dunton
- Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology & Oncology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA
| | - Irene Lee
- Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology & Oncology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA
| | - Arati Sharma
- Department of Pharmacology, Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, Hershey, PA
- Penn State Cancer Institute, Hershey, PA
| | - Aaron D. Viny
- Departments of Medicine, Division of Hematology & Oncology, and of Genetics & Development, Columbia Stem Cell Initiative, Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY
| | - Brian M. Barth
- Department of Chemistry, Biology, and Health Sciences, South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, Rapid City, SD
| | - Martin S. Tallman
- Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center Chicago, IL
| | - Myles Cabot
- Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, Brody School of Medicine, and the East Carolina Diabetes and Obesity Institute, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC
| | - Francine E. Garrett-Bakelman
- Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology & Oncology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA
- University of Virginia Comprehensive Cancer Center, Charlottesville, VA
| | - Ross L. Levine
- Human Oncology and Pathogenesis Program and Leukemia Service, Department of Medicine, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY
| | - Mark Kester
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA
- University of Virginia Comprehensive Cancer Center, Charlottesville, VA
| | - David Claxton
- Penn State Cancer Institute, Hershey, PA
- Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology and Oncology, Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, Hershey, PA
| | - David J. Feith
- Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology & Oncology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA
- University of Virginia Comprehensive Cancer Center, Charlottesville, VA
| | - Kevin A. Janes
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA
- University of Virginia Comprehensive Cancer Center, Charlottesville, VA
| | - Thomas P. Loughran
- Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology & Oncology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA
- University of Virginia Comprehensive Cancer Center, Charlottesville, VA
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8
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Fisher-Wellman KH, Kassai M, Hagen JT, Neufer PD, Kester M, Loughran TP, Chalfant CE, Feith DJ, Tan SF, Fox TE, Ung J, Fabrias G, Abad JL, Sharma A, Golla U, Claxton DF, Shaw JJP, Bhowmick D, Cabot MC. Simultaneous Inhibition of Ceramide Hydrolysis and Glycosylation Synergizes to Corrupt Mitochondrial Respiration and Signal Caspase Driven Cell Death in Drug-Resistant Acute Myeloid Leukemia. Cancers (Basel) 2023; 15:1883. [PMID: 36980769 PMCID: PMC10046858 DOI: 10.3390/cancers15061883] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2023] [Revised: 03/10/2023] [Accepted: 03/15/2023] [Indexed: 03/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Acute myelogenous leukemia (AML), the most prevalent acute and aggressive leukemia diagnosed in adults, often recurs as a difficult-to-treat, chemotherapy-resistant disease. Because chemotherapy resistance is a major obstacle to successful treatment, novel therapeutic intervention is needed. Upregulated ceramide clearance via accelerated hydrolysis and glycosylation has been shown to be an element in chemotherapy-resistant AML, a problem considering the crucial role ceramide plays in eliciting apoptosis. Herein we employed agents that block ceramide clearance to determine if such a "reset" would be of therapeutic benefit. SACLAC was utilized to limit ceramide hydrolysis, and D-threo-1-phenyl-2-decanoylamino-3-morpholino-1-propanol (D-threo-PDMP) was used to block the glycosylation route. The SACLAC D-threo-PDMP inhibitor combination was synergistically cytotoxic in drug-resistant, P-glycoprotein-expressing (P-gp) AML but not in wt, P-gp-poor cells. Interestingly, P-gp antagonists that can limit ceramide glycosylation via depression of glucosylceramide transit also synergized with SACLAC, suggesting a paradoxical role for P-gp in the implementation of cell death. Mechanistically, cell death was accompanied by a complete drop in ceramide glycosylation, concomitant, striking increases in all molecular species of ceramide, diminished sphingosine 1-phosphate levels, resounding declines in mitochondrial respiratory kinetics, altered Akt, pGSK-3β, and Mcl-1 expression, and caspase activation. Although ceramide was generated in wt cells upon inhibitor exposure, mitochondrial respiration was not corrupted, suggestive of mitochondrial vulnerability in the drug-resistant phenotype, a potential therapeutic avenue. The inhibitor regimen showed efficacy in an in vivo model and in primary AML cells from patients. These results support the implementation of SL enzyme targeting to limit ceramide clearance as a therapeutic strategy in chemotherapy-resistant AML, inclusive of a novel indication for the use of P-gp antagonists.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kelsey H. Fisher-Wellman
- Department of Integrative Physiology and Metabolism, Brody School of Medicine, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC 27834, USA
- East Carolina Diabetes and Obesity Institute, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC 27858, USA
- UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Miki Kassai
- East Carolina Diabetes and Obesity Institute, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC 27858, USA
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Brody School of Medicine, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC 27834, USA
| | - James T. Hagen
- Department of Integrative Physiology and Metabolism, Brody School of Medicine, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC 27834, USA
- East Carolina Diabetes and Obesity Institute, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC 27858, USA
| | - P. Darrell Neufer
- Department of Integrative Physiology and Metabolism, Brody School of Medicine, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC 27834, USA
- East Carolina Diabetes and Obesity Institute, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC 27858, USA
| | - Mark Kester
- Department of Medicine, Hematology/Oncology, University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville, VA 22903, USA
- University of Virginia Cancer Center, Charlottesville, VA 22908, USA
| | - Thomas P. Loughran
- Department of Medicine, Hematology/Oncology, University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville, VA 22903, USA
- University of Virginia Cancer Center, Charlottesville, VA 22908, USA
| | - Charles E. Chalfant
- Department of Medicine, Hematology/Oncology, University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville, VA 22903, USA
- University of Virginia Cancer Center, Charlottesville, VA 22908, USA
- Department of Cell Biology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22903, USA
- Research Service, Richmond Veterans Administration Medical Center, Richmond, VA 23298, USA
| | - David J. Feith
- Department of Medicine, Hematology/Oncology, University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville, VA 22903, USA
- University of Virginia Cancer Center, Charlottesville, VA 22908, USA
| | - Su-Fern Tan
- Department of Medicine, Hematology/Oncology, University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville, VA 22903, USA
| | - Todd E. Fox
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville, VA 22904, USA
| | - Johnson Ung
- Department of Medicine, Hematology/Oncology, University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville, VA 22903, USA
- University of Virginia Cancer Center, Charlottesville, VA 22908, USA
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cancer Biology, University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville, VA 22908, USA
| | - Gemma Fabrias
- Research Unit on Bioactive Molecules (RUBAM), Department of Biological Chemistry, Institute for Advanced Chemistry of Catalonia (IQAC), Spanish Council for Scientific Research (CSIC), Jordi Girona 18-26, 08034 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Jose’ Luis Abad
- Research Unit on Bioactive Molecules (RUBAM), Department of Biological Chemistry, Institute for Advanced Chemistry of Catalonia (IQAC), Spanish Council for Scientific Research (CSIC), Jordi Girona 18-26, 08034 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Arati Sharma
- Penn State Cancer Institute, Hershey, PA 17033, USA
- Department of Pharmacology, Penn State College of Medicine, Hershey, PA 17033, USA
| | - Upendarrao Golla
- Penn State Cancer Institute, Hershey, PA 17033, USA
- Division of Hematology and Oncology, Penn State Cancer Institute, Hershey, PA 17033, USA
| | - David F. Claxton
- Division of Hematology and Oncology, Penn State Cancer Institute, Hershey, PA 17033, USA
| | - Jeremy J. P. Shaw
- University of Virginia Cancer Center, Charlottesville, VA 22908, USA
- Department of Experimental Pathology, University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville, VA 22904, USA
| | - Debajit Bhowmick
- Flow Cytometry Division, Brody School of Medicine, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC 27834, USA
| | - Myles C. Cabot
- East Carolina Diabetes and Obesity Institute, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC 27858, USA
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Brody School of Medicine, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC 27834, USA
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9
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Khokhlatchev AV, Sharma A, Deering TG, Shaw JJP, Costa‐Pinheiro P, Golla U, Annageldiyev C, Cabot MC, Conaway MR, Tan S, Ung J, Feith DJ, Loughran TP, Claxton DF, Fox TE, Kester M. Ceramide nanoliposomes augment the efficacy of venetoclax and cytarabine in models of acute myeloid leukemia. FASEB J 2022; 36:e22514. [PMID: 36106439 PMCID: PMC9544744 DOI: 10.1096/fj.202200765r] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2022] [Revised: 08/05/2022] [Accepted: 08/11/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Despite several new therapeutic options for acute myeloid leukemia (AML), disease relapse remains a significant challenge. We have previously demonstrated that augmenting ceramides can counter various drug-resistance mechanisms, leading to enhanced cell death in cancer cells and extended survival in animal models. Using a nanoscale delivery system for ceramide (ceramide nanoliposomes, CNL), we investigated the effect of CNL within a standard of care venetoclax/cytarabine (Ara-C) regimen. We demonstrate that CNL augmented the efficacy of venetoclax/cytarabine in in vitro, ex vivo, and in vivo models of AML. CNL treatment induced non-apoptotic cytotoxicity, and augmented cell death induced by Ara-C and venetoclax. Mechanistically, CNL reduced both venetoclax (Mcl-1) and cytarabine (Chk1) drug-resistant signaling pathways. Moreover, venetoclax and Ara-C augmented the generation of endogenous pro-death ceramide species, which was intensified with CNL. Taken together, CNL has the potential to be utilized as an adjuvant therapy to improve outcomes, potentially extending survival, in patients with AML.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Arati Sharma
- Division of Hematology and Oncology, Department of MedicinePenn State University College of MedicineHersheyPennsylvaniaUSA
- Department of PharmacologyPennsylvania State University College of MedicineHersheyPennsylvaniaUSA
- Penn State Cancer InstitutePennsylvania State University College of MedicineHersheyPennsylvaniaUSA
| | - Tye G. Deering
- Department of PharmacologyUniversity of VirginiaCharlottesvilleVirginiaUSA
| | - Jeremy J. P. Shaw
- Department of Experimental PathologyUniversity of VirginiaCharlottesvilleVirginiaUSA
| | - Pedro Costa‐Pinheiro
- Department of Experimental PathologyUniversity of VirginiaCharlottesvilleVirginiaUSA
| | - Upendarrao Golla
- Division of Hematology and Oncology, Department of MedicinePenn State University College of MedicineHersheyPennsylvaniaUSA
- Penn State Cancer InstitutePennsylvania State University College of MedicineHersheyPennsylvaniaUSA
| | - Charyguly Annageldiyev
- Division of Hematology and Oncology, Department of MedicinePenn State University College of MedicineHersheyPennsylvaniaUSA
- Penn State Cancer InstitutePennsylvania State University College of MedicineHersheyPennsylvaniaUSA
| | - Myles C. Cabot
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Brody School of MedicineEast Carolina UniversityGreenvilleNorth CarolinaUSA
- East Carolina Diabetes and Obesity InstituteEast Carolina UniversityGreenvilleNorth CarolinaUSA
| | - Mark R. Conaway
- University of Virginia School of MedicinePublic Health SciencesCharlottesvilleVirginiaUSA
| | - Su‐Fern Tan
- Division of Hematology and Oncology, Department of MedicineUniversity of Virginia School of MedicineCharlottesvilleVirginiaUSA
- University of Virginia Cancer CenterCharlottesvilleVirginiaUSA
| | - Johnson Ung
- Division of Hematology and Oncology, Department of MedicineUniversity of Virginia School of MedicineCharlottesvilleVirginiaUSA
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Cancer BiologyUniversity of Virginia School of MedicineCharlottesvilleVirginiaUSA
| | - David J. Feith
- Division of Hematology and Oncology, Department of MedicineUniversity of Virginia School of MedicineCharlottesvilleVirginiaUSA
- University of Virginia Cancer CenterCharlottesvilleVirginiaUSA
| | - Thomas P. Loughran
- Division of Hematology and Oncology, Department of MedicineUniversity of Virginia School of MedicineCharlottesvilleVirginiaUSA
- University of Virginia Cancer CenterCharlottesvilleVirginiaUSA
| | - David F. Claxton
- Division of Hematology and Oncology, Department of MedicinePenn State University College of MedicineHersheyPennsylvaniaUSA
- Penn State Cancer InstitutePennsylvania State University College of MedicineHersheyPennsylvaniaUSA
| | - Todd E. Fox
- Department of PharmacologyUniversity of VirginiaCharlottesvilleVirginiaUSA
| | - Mark Kester
- Department of PharmacologyUniversity of VirginiaCharlottesvilleVirginiaUSA
- University of Virginia Cancer CenterCharlottesvilleVirginiaUSA
- NanoSTAR InstituteCharlottesvilleVirginiaUSA
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10
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Ung J, Tan SF, Fox TE, Shaw JJP, Vass LR, Costa-Pinheiro P, Garrett-Bakelman FE, Keng MK, Sharma A, Claxton DF, Levine RL, Tallman MS, Cabot MC, Kester M, Feith DJ, Loughran TP. Harnessing the power of sphingolipids: Prospects for acute myeloid leukemia. Blood Rev 2022; 55:100950. [PMID: 35487785 PMCID: PMC9475810 DOI: 10.1016/j.blre.2022.100950] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2022] [Revised: 03/31/2022] [Accepted: 04/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Abstract
Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is an aggressive, heterogenous malignancy characterized by clonal expansion of bone marrow-derived myeloid progenitor cells. While our current understanding of the molecular and genomic landscape of AML has evolved dramatically and opened avenues for molecularly targeted therapeutics to improve upon standard intensive induction chemotherapy, curative treatments are elusive, particularly in older patients. Responses to current AML treatments are transient and incomplete, necessitating the development of novel treatment strategies to improve outcomes. To this end, harnessing the power of bioactive sphingolipids to treat cancer shows great promise. Sphingolipids are involved in many hallmarks of cancer of paramount importance in AML. Leukemic blast survival is influenced by cellular levels of ceramide, a bona fide pro-death molecule, and its conversion to signaling molecules such as sphingosine-1-phosphate and glycosphingolipids. Preclinical studies demonstrate the efficacy of therapeutics that target dysregulated sphingolipid metabolism as well as their combinatorial synergy with clinically-relevant therapeutics. Thus, increased understanding of sphingolipid dysregulation may be exploited to improve AML patient care and outcomes. This review summarizes the current knowledge of dysregulated sphingolipid metabolism in AML, evaluates how pro-survival sphingolipids promote AML pathogenesis, and discusses the therapeutic potential of targeting these dysregulated sphingolipid pathways.
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Affiliation(s)
- Johnson Ung
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cancer Biology, University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville, VA, United States of America; Division of Hematology/Oncology, University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville, VA, United States of America; University of Virginia Cancer Center, Charlottesville, VA, United States of America
| | - Su-Fern Tan
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville, VA, United States of America; University of Virginia Cancer Center, Charlottesville, VA, United States of America
| | - Todd E Fox
- University of Virginia Cancer Center, Charlottesville, VA, United States of America; Department of Pharmacology, University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville, VA, United States of America
| | - Jeremy J P Shaw
- University of Virginia Cancer Center, Charlottesville, VA, United States of America; Department of Experimental Pathology, University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville, VA, United States of America
| | - Luke R Vass
- University of Virginia Cancer Center, Charlottesville, VA, United States of America; Department of Experimental Pathology, University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville, VA, United States of America
| | - Pedro Costa-Pinheiro
- Cancer Biology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States of America
| | - Francine E Garrett-Bakelman
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville, VA, United States of America; University of Virginia Cancer Center, Charlottesville, VA, United States of America; Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville, VA, United States of America
| | - Michael K Keng
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville, VA, United States of America; University of Virginia Cancer Center, Charlottesville, VA, United States of America
| | - Arati Sharma
- Penn State Cancer Institute, Hershey, PA, United States of America
| | - David F Claxton
- Penn State Cancer Institute, Hershey, PA, United States of America
| | - Ross L Levine
- Leukemia Service, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, United States of America; Human Oncology and Pathogenesis Program, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, United States of America
| | - Martin S Tallman
- Leukemia Service, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, United States of America
| | - Myles C Cabot
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, East Carolina University, Brody School of Medicine, Greenville, NC, United States of America; East Carolina Diabetes and Obesity Institute, East Carolina University, Brody School of Medicine, Greenville, NC, United States of America
| | - Mark Kester
- University of Virginia Cancer Center, Charlottesville, VA, United States of America; Department of Pharmacology, University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville, VA, United States of America
| | - David J Feith
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville, VA, United States of America; University of Virginia Cancer Center, Charlottesville, VA, United States of America
| | - Thomas P Loughran
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cancer Biology, University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville, VA, United States of America; Division of Hematology/Oncology, University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville, VA, United States of America; University of Virginia Cancer Center, Charlottesville, VA, United States of America.
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11
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DiPasquale M, Deering TG, Desai D, Sharma AK, Amin S, Fox TE, Kester M, Katsaras J, Marquardt D, Heberle FA. Influence of ceramide on lipid domain stability studied with small-angle neutron scattering: The role of acyl chain length and unsaturation. Chem Phys Lipids 2022; 245:105205. [PMID: 35483419 PMCID: PMC9320172 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemphyslip.2022.105205] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2022] [Accepted: 04/11/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Ceramides and diacylglycerols are groups of lipids capable of nucleating and stabilizing ordered lipid domains, structures that have been implicated in a range of biological processes. Previous studies have used fluorescence reporter molecules to explore the influence of ceramide acyl chain structure on sphingolipid-rich ordered phases. Here, we use small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) to examine the ability of ceramides and diacylglycerols to promote lipid domain formation in the well-characterized domain-forming mixture DPPC/DOPC/cholesterol. SANS is a powerful, probe-free technique for interrogating membrane heterogeneity, as it is differentially sensitive to hydrogen's stable isotopes protium and deuterium. Specifically, neutron contrast is generated through selective deuteration of lipid species, thus enabling the detection of nanoscopic domains enriched in deuterated saturated lipids dispersed in a matrix of protiated unsaturated lipids. Using large unilamellar vesicles, we found that upon replacing 10 mol% DPPC with either C16:0 or C18:0 ceramide, or 16:0 diacylglycerol (dag), lipid domains persisted to higher temperatures. However, when DPPC was replaced with short chain (C6:0 or C12:0) or very long chain (C24:0) ceramides, or ceramides with unsaturated acyl chains of any length (C6:1(3), C6:1(5), C18:1, and C24:1), as well as C18:1-dag, lipid domains were destabilized, melting at lower temperatures than those in the DPPC/DOPC/cholesterol system. These results show how ceramide acyl chain length and unsaturation influence lipid domains and have implications for how cell membranes might modify their function through the generation of different ceramide species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mitchell DiPasquale
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Windsor, Windsor N9B 3P4, ON, Canada
| | - Tye G Deering
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville 22908, VA, USA
| | - Dhimant Desai
- Department of Pharmacology, Penn State University, University Park 16801, PA, USA
| | - Arun K Sharma
- Department of Pharmacology, Penn State University, University Park 16801, PA, USA
| | - Shantu Amin
- Department of Pharmacology, Penn State University, University Park 16801, PA, USA
| | - Todd E Fox
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville 22908, VA, USA
| | - Mark Kester
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville 22908, VA, USA; Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, University of Virginia, Charlottesville 22908, VA, USA
| | - John Katsaras
- Neutron Scattering Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge 37831, TN, USA; Joint Institute for Neutron Sciences, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge 37831, TN, USA; Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Tennessee, Knoxville 37996, TN, USA.
| | - Drew Marquardt
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Windsor, Windsor N9B 3P4, ON, Canada; Department of Physics, University of Windsor, Windsor N9B 3P4, ON, Canada.
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12
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Fisher-Wellman KH, Hagen JT, Kassai M, Kao LP, Nelson MAM, McLaughlin KL, Coalson HS, Fox TE, Tan SF, Feith DJ, Kester M, Loughran TP, Claxton DF, Cabot MC. Alterations in sphingolipid composition and mitochondrial bioenergetics represent synergistic therapeutic vulnerabilities linked to multidrug resistance in leukemia. FASEB J 2021; 36:e22094. [PMID: 34888943 DOI: 10.1096/fj.202101194rrr] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2021] [Revised: 11/11/2021] [Accepted: 11/24/2021] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Modifications in sphingolipid (SL) metabolism and mitochondrial bioenergetics are key factors implicated in cancer cell response to chemotherapy, including chemotherapy resistance. In the present work, we utilized acute myeloid leukemia (AML) cell lines, selected to be refractory to various chemotherapeutics, to explore the interplay between SL metabolism and mitochondrial biology supportive of multidrug resistance (MDR). In agreement with previous findings in cytarabine or daunorubicin resistant AML cells, relative to chemosensitive wildtype controls, HL-60 cells refractory to vincristine (HL60/VCR) presented with alterations in SL enzyme expression and lipidome composition. Such changes were typified by upregulated expression of various ceramide detoxifying enzymes, as well as corresponding shifts in ceramide, glucosylceramide, and sphingomyelin (SM) molecular species. With respect to mitochondria, despite consistent increases in both basal respiration and maximal respiratory capacity, direct interrogation of the oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) system revealed intrinsic deficiencies in HL60/VCR, as well as across multiple MDR model systems. Based on the apparent requirement for augmented SL and mitochondrial flux to support the MDR phenotype, we explored a combinatorial therapeutic paradigm designed to target each pathway. Remarkably, despite minimal cytotoxicity in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC), co-targeting SL metabolism, and respiratory complex I (CI) induced synergistic cytotoxicity consistently across multiple MDR leukemia models. Together, these data underscore the intimate connection between cellular sphingolipids and mitochondrial metabolism and suggest that pharmacological intervention across both pathways may represent a novel treatment strategy against MDR.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kelsey H Fisher-Wellman
- Department of Physiology, Brody School of Medicine, and the East Carolina Diabetes and Obesity Institute, East Carolina University, Greenville, North Carolina, USA
| | - James T Hagen
- Department of Physiology, Brody School of Medicine, and the East Carolina Diabetes and Obesity Institute, East Carolina University, Greenville, North Carolina, USA
| | - Miki Kassai
- Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, Brody School of Medicine, and the East Carolina Diabetes and Obesity Institute, East Carolina University, Greenville, North Carolina, USA
| | - Li-Pin Kao
- Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, Brody School of Medicine, and the East Carolina Diabetes and Obesity Institute, East Carolina University, Greenville, North Carolina, USA
| | - Margaret A M Nelson
- Department of Physiology, Brody School of Medicine, and the East Carolina Diabetes and Obesity Institute, East Carolina University, Greenville, North Carolina, USA
| | - Kelsey L McLaughlin
- Department of Physiology, Brody School of Medicine, and the East Carolina Diabetes and Obesity Institute, East Carolina University, Greenville, North Carolina, USA
| | - Hannah S Coalson
- Department of Physiology, Brody School of Medicine, and the East Carolina Diabetes and Obesity Institute, East Carolina University, Greenville, North Carolina, USA
| | - Todd E Fox
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville, Virginia, USA
| | - Su-Fern Tan
- Department of Medicine, Hematology/Oncology, University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville, Virginia, USA
| | - David J Feith
- Department of Medicine, Hematology/Oncology, University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville, Virginia, USA.,University of Virginia Cancer Center, Charlottesville, Virginia, USA
| | - Mark Kester
- Department of Medicine, Hematology/Oncology, University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville, Virginia, USA.,University of Virginia Cancer Center, Charlottesville, Virginia, USA
| | - Thomas P Loughran
- Department of Medicine, Hematology/Oncology, University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville, Virginia, USA.,University of Virginia Cancer Center, Charlottesville, Virginia, USA
| | - David F Claxton
- Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology and Oncology, Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, Hershey, Pennsylvania, USA.,Penn state Cancer Institute, Hershey, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Myles C Cabot
- Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, Brody School of Medicine, and the East Carolina Diabetes and Obesity Institute, East Carolina University, Greenville, North Carolina, USA
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13
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Costa-Pinheiro P, Heher A, Raymond MH, Jividen K, Shaw JJ, Paschal BM, Walker SJ, Fox TE, Kester M. Role of SPTSSB-Regulated de Novo Sphingolipid Synthesis in Prostate Cancer Depends on Androgen Receptor Signaling. iScience 2020; 23:101855. [PMID: 33313495 PMCID: PMC7721643 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2020.101855] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2020] [Revised: 10/23/2020] [Accepted: 11/19/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Anti-androgens are a common therapy in prostate cancer (PCa) targeting androgen receptor (AR) signaling. However, these therapies fail due to selection of highly aggressive AR-negative cancer cells that have no therapeutic options available. We demonstrate that elevating endogenous ceramide levels with administration of exogenous ceramide nanoliposomes (CNLs) was efficacious in AR-negative cell lines with limited efficacy in AR-positive cells. This effect is mediated through reduced de novo sphingolipid synthesis in AR-positive cells. We show that anti-androgens elevate de novo generation of sphingolipids via SPTSSB, a rate-limiting mediator of sphingolipid generation. Moreover, pharmacological inhibition of AR increases the efficacy of CNL in AR-positive cells through de novo synthesis, while SPTSSB knockdown limited CNL's efficacy in AR-negative cells. Alluding to clinical relevance, SPTSSB is upregulated in patients with advanced PCa after anti-androgens treatment. These findings emphasize the relevance of AR regulation upon sphingolipid metabolism and the potential of CNL as a PCa therapeutic. AR-negative PCa cells are more susceptible to CNL than AR-positive cells Combination of anti-androgens and CNL results in enhanced efficacy for AR-positive PCa AR negatively regulates the de novo synthesis of sphingolipids through SPTSSB SPTSSB is crucial for CNL effect in AR-negative PCa and is upregulated in neuroendocrine tumors
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Abigail Heher
- Department of Biology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22903, USA
| | - Michael H Raymond
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22903, USA
| | - Kasey Jividen
- Center for Cell Signaling, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22903, USA
| | - Jeremy Jp Shaw
- Department of Pathology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22903, USA
| | - Bryce M Paschal
- Center for Cell Signaling, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22903, USA.,Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22903, USA
| | - Susan J Walker
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22903, USA
| | - Todd E Fox
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22903, USA
| | - Mark Kester
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22903, USA.,nanoSTAR Institute, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22903, USA
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14
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Shaw JJP, Boyer TL, Venner E, Beck PJ, Slamowitz T, Caste T, Hickman A, Raymond MH, Costa-Pinheiro P, Jameson MJ, Fox TE, Kester M. Inhibition of Lysosomal Function Mitigates Protective Mitophagy and Augments Ceramide Nanoliposome-Induced Cell Death in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma. Mol Cancer Ther 2020; 19:2621-2633. [PMID: 33087509 DOI: 10.1158/1535-7163.mct-20-0182] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2020] [Revised: 07/03/2020] [Accepted: 09/28/2020] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Therapies for head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) are, at best, moderately effective, underscoring the need for new therapeutic strategies. Ceramide treatment leads to cell death as a consequence of mitochondrial damage by generating oxidative stress and causing mitochondrial permeability. However, HNSCC cells are able to resist cell death through mitochondria repair via mitophagy. Through the use of the C6-ceramide nanoliposome (CNL) to deliver therapeutic levels of bioactive ceramide, we demonstrate that the effects of CNL are mitigated in drug-resistant HNSCC via an autophagic/mitophagic response. We also demonstrate that inhibitors of lysosomal function, including chloroquine (CQ), significantly augment CNL-induced death in HNSCC cell lines. Mechanistically, the combination of CQ and CNL results in dysfunctional lysosomal processing of damaged mitochondria. We further demonstrate that exogenous addition of methyl pyruvate rescues cells from CNL + CQ-dependent cell death by restoring mitochondrial functionality via the reduction of CNL- and CQ-induced generation of reactive oxygen species and mitochondria permeability. Taken together, inhibition of late-stage protective autophagy/mitophagy augments the efficacy of CNL through preventing mitochondrial repair. Moreover, the combination of inhibitors of lysosomal function with CNL may provide an efficacious treatment modality for HNSCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeremy J P Shaw
- Department of Pathology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia
| | - Timothy L Boyer
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia
| | - Emily Venner
- Department of Biology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia
| | - Patrick J Beck
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia
| | - Tristen Slamowitz
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia
| | - Tara Caste
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia
| | - Alexandra Hickman
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia
| | - Michael H Raymond
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia
| | | | - Mark J Jameson
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia
| | - Todd E Fox
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia
| | - Mark Kester
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia. .,Department of Pharmacology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia
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15
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Patterson L, Allen J, Posey I, Shaw JJP, Costa-Pinheiro P, Walker SJ, Gademsey A, Wu X, Wu S, Zachos NC, Fox TE, Sears CL, Kester M. Glucosylceramide production maintains colon integrity in response to Bacteroides fragilis toxin-induced colon epithelial cell signaling. FASEB J 2020; 34:15922-15945. [PMID: 33047400 DOI: 10.1096/fj.202001669r] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2020] [Revised: 09/09/2020] [Accepted: 09/18/2020] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
Enterotoxigenic Bacteroides fragilis (ETBF) is a commensal bacterium of great importance to human health due to its ability to induce colitis and cause colon tumor formation in mice through the production of B. fragilis toxin (BFT). The formation of tumors is dependent on a pro-inflammatory signaling cascade, which begins with the disruption of epithelial barrier integrity through cleavage of E-cadherin. Here, we show that BFT increases levels of glucosylceramide, a vital intestinal sphingolipid, both in mice and in colon organoids (colonoids) generated from the distal colons of mice. When colonoids are treated with BFT in the presence of an inhibitor of glucosylceramide synthase (GCS), the enzyme responsible for generating glucosylceramide, colonoids become highly permeable, lose structural integrity, and eventually burst, releasing their contents into the extracellular matrix. By increasing glucosylceramide levels in colonoids via an inhibitor of glucocerebrosidase (GBA, the enzyme that degrades glucosylceramide), colonoid permeability was reduced, and bursting was significantly decreased. In the presence of BFT, pharmacological inhibition of GCS caused levels of tight junction protein 1 (TJP1) to decrease. However, when GBA was inhibited, TJP1 levels remained stable, suggesting that BFT-induced production of glucosylceramide helps to stabilize tight junctions. Taken together, our data demonstrate a glucosylceramide-dependent mechanism by which the colon epithelium responds to BFT.
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Affiliation(s)
- Logan Patterson
- Department of Pathology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA
| | - Jawara Allen
- Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Isabella Posey
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA
| | | | | | - Susan J Walker
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA
| | - Alexis Gademsey
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA
| | - Xinqun Wu
- Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Shaoguang Wu
- Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Nicholas C Zachos
- Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Todd E Fox
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA
| | - Cynthia L Sears
- Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Mark Kester
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA
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16
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Keppley LJW, Walker SJ, Gademsey AN, Smith JP, Keller SR, Kester M, Fox TE. Nervonic acid limits weight gain in a mouse model of diet-induced obesity. FASEB J 2020; 34:15314-15326. [PMID: 32959931 DOI: 10.1096/fj.202000525r] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2020] [Revised: 09/03/2020] [Accepted: 09/09/2020] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Lipid perturbations contribute to detrimental outcomes in obesity. We previously demonstrated that nervonic acid, a C24:1 ω-9 fatty acid, predominantly acylated to sphingolipids, including ceramides, are selectively reduced in a mouse model of obesity. It is currently unknown if deficiency of nervonic acid-sphingolipid metabolites contribute to complications of obesity. Mice were fed a standard diet, a high fat diet, or these diets supplemented isocalorically with nervonic acid. The primary objective was to determine if dietary nervonic acid content alters the metabolic phenotype in mice fed a high fat diet. Furthermore, we investigated if nervonic acid alters markers of impaired fatty acid oxidation in the liver. We observed that a nervonic acid-enriched isocaloric diet reduced weight gain and adiposity in mice fed a high fat diet. The nervonic acid enrichment led to increased C24:1-ceramides and improved several metabolic parameters including blood glucose levels, and insulin and glucose tolerance. Mechanistically, nervonic acid supplementation increased PPARα and PGC1α expression and improved the acylcarnitine profile in liver. These alterations indicate improved energy metabolism through increased β-oxidation of fatty acids. Taken together, increasing dietary nervonic acid improves metabolic parameters in mice fed a high fat diet. Strategies that prevent deficiency of, or restore, nervonic acid may represent an effective strategy to treat obesity and obesity-related complications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura J W Keppley
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA
| | - Susan J Walker
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA
| | - Alexis N Gademsey
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA
| | - Jason P Smith
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA
| | - Susanna R Keller
- Medicine: Endocrinology and Metabolism, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA
| | - Mark Kester
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA
| | - Todd E Fox
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA.,Department of Ophthalmology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA
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17
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Olson KC, Moosic KB, Jones MK, Larkin PMK, Olson TL, Toro MF, Fox TE, Feith DJ, Loughran TP. Large granular lymphocyte leukemia serum and corresponding hematological parameters reveal unique cytokine and sphingolipid biomarkers and associations with STAT3 mutations. Cancer Med 2020; 9:6533-6549. [PMID: 32710512 PMCID: PMC7520360 DOI: 10.1002/cam4.3246] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2020] [Revised: 05/22/2020] [Accepted: 05/31/2020] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Large granular lymphocyte (LGL) leukemia is a rare hematological disorder with expansion of the T-cell or natural killer (NK) cell lineage. Signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) exhibits somatic activating mutations in 30%-40% of LGL leukemia cases. Transcriptional targets of STAT3 include inflammatory cytokines, thus previous studies have measured cytokine levels of LGL leukemia patients compared to normal donors. Sphingolipid metabolism is a growing area of cancer research, with efforts focused on drug discovery. To date, no studies have examined serum sphingolipids in LGL leukemia patients, and only one study compared a subset of cytokines between the T-LGL and NK-LGL subtypes. Therefore, here, we included both LGL leukemia subtypes with the goals of (a) measuring serum sphingolipids for the first time, (b) measuring cytokines to find distinctions between the subtypes, and (c) establishing relationships with STAT3 mutations and clinical data. The serum analyses identified cytokines (EGF, IP-10, G-CSF) and sphingolipids (SMC22, SMC24, SMC20, LysoSM) significantly different in the LGL leukemia group compared to normal donors. In a mixed STAT3 mutation group, D661Y samples exhibited the highest mean corpuscular volume (MCV) values. We explored this further by expanding the cohort to include larger groups of single STAT3 mutations. Male D661Y STAT3 samples had lower Hgb and higher MCV compared to wild type (WT) or Y640F counterparts. This is the first report examining large groups of individual STAT3 mutations. Overall, our results revealed novel serum biomarkers and evidence that D661Y mutation may show different clinical manifestation compared to WT or Y640F STAT3.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristine C. Olson
- University of Virginia Cancer CenterCharlottesvilleVAUSA,Department of MedicineDivision of Hematology/OncologyUniversity of Virginia School of MedicineCharlottesvilleVAUSA
| | - Katharine B. Moosic
- University of Virginia Cancer CenterCharlottesvilleVAUSA,Department of MedicineDivision of Hematology/OncologyUniversity of Virginia School of MedicineCharlottesvilleVAUSA,Department of PathologyUniversity of Virginia School of MedicineCharlottesvilleVAUSA
| | - Marieke K. Jones
- Health Sciences LibraryUniversity of Virginia School of MedicineCharlottesvilleVAUSA
| | - Paige M. K. Larkin
- University of Virginia Cancer CenterCharlottesvilleVAUSA,Department of MedicineDivision of Hematology/OncologyUniversity of Virginia School of MedicineCharlottesvilleVAUSA,Department of PathologyUniversity of Virginia School of MedicineCharlottesvilleVAUSA,Present address:
Department of Pathology and Laboratory MedicineUniversity of California Los AngelesLos AngelesCAUSA
| | - Thomas L. Olson
- University of Virginia Cancer CenterCharlottesvilleVAUSA,Department of MedicineDivision of Hematology/OncologyUniversity of Virginia School of MedicineCharlottesvilleVAUSA
| | - Mariella F. Toro
- University of Virginia Cancer CenterCharlottesvilleVAUSA,Department of MedicineDivision of Hematology/OncologyUniversity of Virginia School of MedicineCharlottesvilleVAUSA
| | - Todd E. Fox
- University of Virginia Cancer CenterCharlottesvilleVAUSA,Department of PharmacologyUniversity of Virginia School of MedicineCharlottesvilleVAUSA
| | - David J. Feith
- University of Virginia Cancer CenterCharlottesvilleVAUSA,Department of MedicineDivision of Hematology/OncologyUniversity of Virginia School of MedicineCharlottesvilleVAUSA
| | - Thomas P. Loughran
- University of Virginia Cancer CenterCharlottesvilleVAUSA,Department of MedicineDivision of Hematology/OncologyUniversity of Virginia School of MedicineCharlottesvilleVAUSA
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18
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Pearson JM, Tan SF, Sharma A, Annageldiyev C, Fox TE, Abad JL, Fabrias G, Desai D, Amin S, Wang HG, Cabot MC, Claxton DF, Kester M, Feith DJ, Loughran TP. Ceramide Analogue SACLAC Modulates Sphingolipid Levels and MCL-1 Splicing to Induce Apoptosis in Acute Myeloid Leukemia. Mol Cancer Res 2019; 18:352-363. [PMID: 31744877 DOI: 10.1158/1541-7786.mcr-19-0619] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2019] [Revised: 08/30/2019] [Accepted: 11/15/2019] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a disease characterized by uncontrolled proliferation of immature myeloid cells in the blood and bone marrow. The 5-year survival rate is approximately 25%, and recent therapeutic developments have yielded little survival benefit. Therefore, there is an urgent need to identify novel therapeutic targets. We previously demonstrated that acid ceramidase (ASAH1, referred to as AC) is upregulated in AML and high AC activity correlates with poor patient survival. Here, we characterized a novel AC inhibitor, SACLAC, that significantly reduced the viability of AML cells with an EC50 of approximately 3 μmol/L across 30 human AML cell lines. Treatment of AML cell lines with SACLAC effectively blocked AC activity and induced a decrease in sphingosine 1-phosphate and a 2.5-fold increase in total ceramide levels. Mechanistically, we showed that SACLAC treatment led to reduced levels of splicing factor SF3B1 and alternative MCL-1 mRNA splicing in multiple human AML cell lines. This increased proapoptotic MCL-1S levels and contributed to SACLAC-induced apoptosis in AML cells. The apoptotic effects of SACLAC were attenuated by SF3B1 or MCL-1 overexpression and by selective knockdown of MCL-1S. Furthermore, AC knockdown and exogenous C16-ceramide supplementation induced similar changes in SF3B1 level and MCL-1S/L ratio. Finally, we demonstrated that SACLAC treatment leads to a 37% to 75% reduction in leukemic burden in two human AML xenograft mouse models. IMPLICATIONS: These data further emphasize AC as a therapeutic target in AML and define SACLAC as a potent inhibitor to be further optimized for future clinical development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer M Pearson
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia
| | - Su-Fern Tan
- Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology & Oncology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia
| | - Arati Sharma
- Penn State Cancer Institute, Hershey, Pennsylvania.,Department of Pharmacology, Penn State College of Medicine, Hershey, Pennsylvania
| | | | - Todd E Fox
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia
| | - Jose Luis Abad
- Department of Biological Chemistry, Networking Biomedical Research Centre on Liver and Digestive Diseases (CIBER-EHD), Institute for Advanced Chemistry of Catalonia, Spanish National Research Council (IQAC-CSIC), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Gemma Fabrias
- Department of Biological Chemistry, Networking Biomedical Research Centre on Liver and Digestive Diseases (CIBER-EHD), Institute for Advanced Chemistry of Catalonia, Spanish National Research Council (IQAC-CSIC), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Dhimant Desai
- Department of Pharmacology, Penn State College of Medicine, Hershey, Pennsylvania
| | - Shantu Amin
- Department of Pharmacology, Penn State College of Medicine, Hershey, Pennsylvania
| | - Hong-Gang Wang
- Penn State Cancer Institute, Hershey, Pennsylvania.,Department of Pediatrics, Penn State College of Medicine, Hershey, Pennsylvania
| | - Myles C Cabot
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, East Carolina Diabetes and Obesity Institute, Brody School of Medicine, East Carolina University, Greenville, North Carolina
| | | | - Mark Kester
- Department of Pharmacology, Penn State College of Medicine, Hershey, Pennsylvania.,University of Virginia Cancer Center, Charlottesville, Virginia
| | - David J Feith
- Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology & Oncology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia.,University of Virginia Cancer Center, Charlottesville, Virginia
| | - Thomas P Loughran
- Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology & Oncology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia. .,University of Virginia Cancer Center, Charlottesville, Virginia
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19
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Kao LP, Morad SAF, Davis TS, MacDougall MR, Kassai M, Abdelmageed N, Fox TE, Kester M, Loughran TP, Abad JL, Fabrias G, Tan SF, Feith DJ, Claxton DF, Spiegel S, Fisher-Wellman KH, Cabot MC. Chemotherapy selection pressure alters sphingolipid composition and mitochondrial bioenergetics in resistant HL-60 cells. J Lipid Res 2019; 60:1590-1602. [PMID: 31363040 PMCID: PMC6718434 DOI: 10.1194/jlr.ra119000251] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2019] [Revised: 07/27/2019] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
The combination of daunorubicin (dnr) and cytarabine (Ara-C) is a cornerstone of treatment for acute myelogenous leukemia (AML); resistance to these drugs is a major cause of treatment failure. Ceramide, a sphingolipid (SL), plays a critical role in cancer cell apoptosis in response to chemotherapy. Here, we investigated the effects of chemotherapy selection pressure with Ara-C and dnr on SL composition and enzyme activity in the AML cell line HL-60. Resistant cells, those selected for growth in Ara-C- and dnr-containing medium (HL-60/Ara-C and HL-60/dnr, respectively), demonstrated upregulated expression and activity of glucosylceramide synthase, acid ceramidase (AC), and sphingosine kinase 1 (SPHK1); were more resistant to ceramide than parental cells; and displayed sensitivity to inhibitors of SL metabolism. Lipidomic analysis revealed a general ceramide deficit and a profound upswing in levels of sphingosine 1-phosphate (S1P) and ceramide 1-phosphate (C1P) in HL-60/dnr cells versus parental and HL-60/Ara-C cells. Both chemotherapy-selected cells also exhibited comprehensive upregulations in mitochondrial biogenesis consistent with heightened reliance on oxidative phosphorylation, a property that was partially reversed by exposure to AC and SPHK1 inhibitors and that supports a role for the phosphorylation system in resistance. In summary, dnr and Ara-C selection pressure induces acute reductions in ceramide levels and large increases in S1P and C1P, concomitant with cell resilience bolstered by enhanced mitochondrial remodeling. Thus, strategic control of ceramide metabolism and further research to define mitochondrial perturbations that accompany the drug-resistant phenotype offer new opportunities for developing therapies that regulate cancer growth.
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Affiliation(s)
- Li-Pin Kao
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Brody School of Medicine, East Carolina University, and the East Carolina Diabetes and Obesity Institute, Greenville, NC
| | - Samy A F Morad
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Brody School of Medicine, East Carolina University, and the East Carolina Diabetes and Obesity Institute, Greenville, NC; Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, South Valley University, Qena, Egypt
| | - Traci S Davis
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Brody School of Medicine, East Carolina University, and the East Carolina Diabetes and Obesity Institute, Greenville, NC
| | - Matthew R MacDougall
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Brody School of Medicine, East Carolina University, and the East Carolina Diabetes and Obesity Institute, Greenville, NC
| | - Miki Kassai
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Brody School of Medicine, East Carolina University, and the East Carolina Diabetes and Obesity Institute, Greenville, NC
| | - Noha Abdelmageed
- Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Sohag University, Sohag, Egypt
| | - Todd E Fox
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville, VA
| | - Mark Kester
- University of Virginia Cancer Center Charlottesville, VA
| | - Thomas P Loughran
- University of Virginia Cancer Center Charlottesville, VA; Department of Medicine, Hematology/Oncology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA
| | - Jose' L Abad
- Instituto de Quimica Avanzada de Cataluña, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Gemma Fabrias
- Instituto de Quimica Avanzada de Cataluña, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Su-Fern Tan
- Department of Medicine, Hematology/Oncology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA
| | - David J Feith
- University of Virginia Cancer Center Charlottesville, VA; Department of Medicine, Hematology/Oncology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA
| | | | - Sarah Spiegel
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and the Massey Cancer Center, Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine, Richmond, VA
| | - Kelsey H Fisher-Wellman
- Department of Physiology, Brody School of Medicine, East Carolina University, and the East Carolina Diabetes and Obesity Institute, Greenville, NC.
| | - Myles C Cabot
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Brody School of Medicine, East Carolina University, and the East Carolina Diabetes and Obesity Institute, Greenville, NC.
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20
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Ramakrishnan G, Pérez NM, Carroll C, Moore MM, Nakamoto RK, Fox TE. Citryl Ornithine Is an Intermediate in a Three-Step Biosynthetic Pathway for Rhizoferrin in Francisella. ACS Chem Biol 2019; 14:1760-1766. [PMID: 31260252 DOI: 10.1021/acschembio.9b00297] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
The Gram-negative bacterium Francisella tularensis secretes the siderophore rhizoferrin to scavenge necessary iron from the environment. Rhizoferrin, also produced by a variety of fungi and bacteria, comprises two citrate molecules linked by amide bonds to a central putrescine (diaminobutane) moiety. Genetic analysis has determined that rhizoferrin production in F. tularensis requires two enzymes: FslA, a siderophore synthetase of the nonribosomal peptide synthetase-independent siderophore synthetase (NIS) family, and FslC, a pyridoxal-phosphate-dependent decarboxylase. To discern the steps in the biosynthetic pathway, we tested F. tularensis strain LVS and its ΔfslA and ΔfslC mutants for the ability to incorporate potential precursors into rhizoferrin. Unlike putrescine supplementation, supplementation with ornithine greatly enhanced siderophore production by LVS. Radioactivity from L-[U-14C] ornithine, but not from L-[1-14C] ornithine, was efficiently incorporated into rhizoferrin by LVS. Although neither the ΔfslA nor the ΔfslC mutant produced rhizoferrin, a putative siderophore intermediate labeled by both [U-14C] ornithine and [1-14C] ornithine was secreted by the ΔfslC mutant. Rhizoferrin was identified by liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry in LVS culture supernatants, while citryl-ornithine was detected as the siderophore intermediate in the culture supernatant of the ΔfslC mutant. Our findings support a three-step pathway for rhizoferrin production in Francisella; unlike the fungus Rhizopus delemar, where putrescine functions as a primary precursor for rhizoferrin, biosynthesis in Francisella preferentially starts with ornithine as the substrate for FslA-mediated condensation with citrate. Decarboxylation of this citryl ornithine intermediate by FslC is necessary for a second condensation reaction with citrate to produce rhizoferrin.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Cassandra Carroll
- Department of Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby V5A 1S6, Canada
| | - Margo M. Moore
- Department of Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby V5A 1S6, Canada
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21
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Moore JH, Varhue WB, Su YH, Linton SS, Farmehini V, Fox TE, Matters GL, Kester M, Swami NS. Conductance-Based Biophysical Distinction and Microfluidic Enrichment of Nanovesicles Derived from Pancreatic Tumor Cells of Varying Invasiveness. Anal Chem 2019; 91:10424-10431. [PMID: 31333013 DOI: 10.1021/acs.analchem.8b05745] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Diagnostics based on exosomes and other extracellular vesicles (EVs) are emerging as strategies for informing cancer progression and therapies, since the lipid content and macromolecular cargo of EVs can provide key phenotypic and genotypic information on the parent tumor cell and its microenvironment. We show that EVs derived from more invasive pancreatic tumor cells that express high levels of tumor-specific surface proteins and are composed of highly unsaturated lipids that increase membrane fluidity, exhibit significantly higher conductance versus those derived from less invasive tumor cells, based on dielectrophoresis measurements. Furthermore, through specific binding of the EVs to gold nanoparticle-conjugated antibodies, we show that these conductance differences can be modulated in proportion to the type as well as level of expressed tumor-specific antigens, thereby presenting methods for selective microfluidic enrichment and cytometry-based quantification of EVs based on invasiveness of their parent cell.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Samuel S Linton
- Biochemistry and Molecular Biology , Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine , Hershey , Pennsylvania 17033 , United States
| | | | | | - Gail L Matters
- Biochemistry and Molecular Biology , Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine , Hershey , Pennsylvania 17033 , United States
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22
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Moreau GB, Ramakrishnan G, Cook HL, Fox TE, Nayak U, Ma JZ, Colgate ER, Kirkpatrick BD, Haque R, Petri WA. Childhood growth and neurocognition are associated with distinct sets of metabolites. EBioMedicine 2019; 44:597-606. [PMID: 31133540 PMCID: PMC6604877 DOI: 10.1016/j.ebiom.2019.05.043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2019] [Revised: 05/10/2019] [Accepted: 05/18/2019] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Undernutrition is a serious global problem that contributes to increased child morbidity and mortality, impaired neurocognitive development, and decreased educational and economic attainment. Current interventions are only marginally effective, and identification of associated metabolic pathways can offer new strategies for intervention. Methods Plasma samples were collected at 9 and 36 months from a subset of the PROVIDE child cohort (n = 130). Targeted metabolomics was performed on bile acids, acylcarnitines, amino acids, phosphatidylcholines, and sphingomyelins. Metabolic associations with linear growth and neurocognitive outcomes at four years were evaluated using correlation and penalized-linear regression analysis as well as conditional random forest modeling. Findings Different metabolites were associated with growth and neurocognitive outcomes. Improved growth outcomes were associated with higher concentrations of hydroxy-sphingomyelin and essential amino acids and lower levels of acylcarnitines and bile acid conjugation. Neurocognitive scores were largely associated with phosphatidylcholine species and early metabolic indicators of inflammation. All metabolites identified explain ~45% of growth and neurocognitive variation. Interpretation Growth outcomes were predominantly associated with metabolites measured early in life (9 months), many of which were biomarkers of insufficient diet, environmental enteric dysfunction, and microbiome disruption. Hydroxy-sphingomyelin was a significant predictor of improved growth. Neurocognitive outcome was predominantly associated with 36 month phosphatidylcholines and inflammatory metabolites, which may serve as important biomarkers of optimal neurodevelopment. The distinct sets of metabolites associated with growth and neurocognition suggest that intervention may require targeted approaches towards distinct metabolic pathways. Fund Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (OP1173478); National Institutes of Health (AI043596, CA044579).
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Affiliation(s)
- G Brett Moreau
- Division of Infectious Diseases and International Health, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA
| | - Girija Ramakrishnan
- Division of Infectious Diseases and International Health, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA
| | - Heather L Cook
- Department of Statistics, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA
| | - Todd E Fox
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA
| | - Uma Nayak
- Center for Public Health Genomics, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA
| | - Jennie Z Ma
- Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA
| | - E Ross Colgate
- Vaccine Testing Center, Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, Larner College of Medicine, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT, USA
| | - Beth D Kirkpatrick
- Vaccine Testing Center, Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, Larner College of Medicine, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT, USA
| | - Rashidul Haque
- International Centre for Diarrheal Disease Research, Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - William A Petri
- Division of Infectious Diseases and International Health, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA.
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23
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Tan SF, Dunton W, Liu X, Fox TE, Morad SAF, Desai D, Doi K, Conaway MR, Amin S, Claxton DF, Wang HG, Kester M, Cabot MC, Feith DJ, Loughran TP. Acid ceramidase promotes drug resistance in acute myeloid leukemia through NF-κB-dependent P-glycoprotein upregulation. J Lipid Res 2019; 60:1078-1086. [PMID: 30962310 DOI: 10.1194/jlr.m091876] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2018] [Revised: 04/02/2019] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is the most common acute leukemia in adults. More than half of older AML patients fail to respond to cytotoxic chemotherapy, and most responders relapse with drug-resistant disease. Failure to achieve complete remission can be partly attributed to the drug resistance advantage of AML blasts that frequently express P-glycoprotein (P-gp), an ATP-binding cassette transporter. Our previous work showed that elevated acid ceramidase (AC) levels in AML contribute to blast survival. Here, we investigated P-gp expression levels in AML relative to AC. Using parental HL-60 cells and drug-resistant derivatives as our model, we found that P-gp expression and efflux activity were highly upregulated in resistant derivatives. AC overexpression in HL-60 conferred resistance to the AML chemotherapeutic drugs, cytarabine, mitoxantrone, and daunorubicin, and was linked to P-gp upregulation. Furthermore, targeting AC through pharmacologic or genetic approaches decreased P-gp levels and increased sensitivity to chemotherapeutic drugs. Mechanistically, AC overexpression increased NF-κB activation whereas NF-kB inhibitors reduced P-gp levels, indicating that the NF-kappaB pathway contributes to AC-mediated modulation of P-gp expression. Hence, our data support an important role for AC in drug resistance as well as survival and suggest that sphingolipid targeting approaches may also impact drug resistance in AML.
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Affiliation(s)
- Su-Fern Tan
- Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology and Oncology University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville, VA
| | - Wendy Dunton
- Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology and Oncology University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville, VA
| | - Xin Liu
- Penn State Hershey Cancer Institute Hershey, PA
| | - Todd E Fox
- Departments of Pharmacology University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville, VA
| | - Samy A F Morad
- Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, South Valley University, Qena, Egypt.,Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Brody School of Medicine, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC
| | - Dhimant Desai
- Departments of Pharmacology Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, Hershey, PA
| | - Kenichiro Doi
- Pediatrics Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, Hershey, PA
| | - Mark R Conaway
- Public Health Sciences University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville, VA
| | - Shantu Amin
- Departments of Pharmacology Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, Hershey, PA
| | | | - Hong-Gang Wang
- Pediatrics Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, Hershey, PA
| | - Mark Kester
- Departments of Pharmacology University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville, VA.,University of Virginia Cancer Center Charlottesville, VA
| | - Myles C Cabot
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Brody School of Medicine, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC
| | - David J Feith
- Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology and Oncology University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville, VA.,University of Virginia Cancer Center Charlottesville, VA
| | - Thomas P Loughran
- Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology and Oncology University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville, VA .,University of Virginia Cancer Center Charlottesville, VA
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24
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Shah A, Melhuish TA, Fox TE, Frierson HF, Wotton D. TGIF transcription factors repress acetyl CoA metabolic gene expression and promote intestinal tumor growth. Genes Dev 2019; 33:388-402. [PMID: 30808659 PMCID: PMC6446543 DOI: 10.1101/gad.320127.118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2018] [Accepted: 01/24/2019] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
In this study, Shah et al. show that Tgifs, which repress gene expression by binding directly to DNA or interacting with transforming growth factor β (TGFβ)-responsive SMADs, promote adenoma growth in the context of mutant Apc (adenomatous polyposis coli). Their findings suggest that Tgifs play an important role in regulating basic energy metabolism in normal cells and that this function of Tgifs is amplified in some cancers. Tgif1 (thymine–guanine-interacting factor 1) and Tgif2 repress gene expression by binding directly to DNA or interacting with transforming growth factor (TGF) β-responsive SMADs. Tgifs are essential for embryogenesis and may function in tumor progression. By analyzing both gain and loss of Tgif function in a well-established mouse model of intestinal cancer, we show that Tgifs promote adenoma growth in the context of mutant Apc (adenomatous polyposis coli). Despite the tumor-suppressive role of TGFβ signaling, transcriptome profiling of colon tumors suggests minimal effect of Tgifs on the TGFβ pathway. Instead, it appears that Tgifs, which are up-regulated in Apc mutant colon tumors, contribute to reprogramming metabolic gene expression. Integrating gene expression data from colon tumors with other gene expression and chromatin-binding data identifies a set of direct Tgif target genes encoding proteins involved in acetyl CoA and pyruvate metabolism. Analysis of both tumor and nontumor tissues indicates that these genes are targets of Tgif repression in multiple settings, suggesting that this is a core Tgif function. We propose that Tgifs play an important role in regulating basic energy metabolism in normal cells, and that this function of Tgifs is amplified in some cancers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anant Shah
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, Center for Cell Signaling, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia 22908, USA
| | - Tiffany A Melhuish
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, Center for Cell Signaling, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia 22908, USA
| | - Todd E Fox
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia 22908, USA
| | - Henry F Frierson
- Department of Pathology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia 22908, USA
| | - David Wotton
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, Center for Cell Signaling, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia 22908, USA
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25
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Kumar M, Ji B, Babaei P, Das P, Lappa D, Ramakrishnan G, Fox TE, Haque R, Petri WA, Bäckhed F, Nielsen J. Gut microbiota dysbiosis is associated with malnutrition and reduced plasma amino acid levels: Lessons from genome-scale metabolic modeling. Metab Eng 2018; 49:128-142. [PMID: 30075203 DOI: 10.1016/j.ymben.2018.07.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2018] [Revised: 07/30/2018] [Accepted: 07/30/2018] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Malnutrition is a severe non-communicable disease, which is prevalent in children from low-income countries. Recently, a number of metagenomics studies have illustrated associations between the altered gut microbiota and child malnutrition. However, these studies did not examine metabolic functions and interactions between individual species in the gut microbiota during health and malnutrition. Here, we applied genome-scale metabolic modeling to model the gut microbial species, which were selected from healthy and malnourished children from three countries. Our analysis showed reduced metabolite production capabilities in children from two low-income countries compared with a high-income country. Additionally, the models were also used to predict the community-level metabolic potentials of gut microbes and the patterns of pairwise interactions among species. Hereby we found that due to bacterial interactions there may be reduced production of certain amino acids in malnourished children compared with healthy children from the same communities. To gain insight into alterations in the metabolism of malnourished (stunted) children, we also performed targeted plasma metabolic profiling in the first 2 years of life of 25 healthy and 25 stunted children. Plasma metabolic profiling further revealed that stunted children had reduced plasma levels of essential amino acids compared to healthy controls. Our analyses provide a framework for future efforts towards further characterization of gut microbial metabolic capabilities and their contribution to malnutrition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manish Kumar
- Department of Biology and Biological Engineering, Chalmers University of Technology, SE41128 Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Boyang Ji
- Department of Biology and Biological Engineering, Chalmers University of Technology, SE41128 Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Parizad Babaei
- Department of Biology and Biological Engineering, Chalmers University of Technology, SE41128 Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Promi Das
- Department of Biology and Biological Engineering, Chalmers University of Technology, SE41128 Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Dimitra Lappa
- Department of Biology and Biological Engineering, Chalmers University of Technology, SE41128 Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Girija Ramakrishnan
- Department of Medicine/Division of Infectious Diseases, and University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA
| | - Todd E Fox
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA
| | - Rashidul Haque
- International Centre for Diarrheal Disease Research, Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - William A Petri
- Department of Medicine/Division of Infectious Diseases, and University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA
| | - Fredrik Bäckhed
- The Wallenberg Laboratory, Department of Molecular and Clinical Medicine, University of Gothenburg, 41345 Gothenburg, Sweden; Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Basic Metabolic Research, Section for Metabolic Receptology and Enteroendocrinology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Copenhagen, 2200 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Jens Nielsen
- Department of Biology and Biological Engineering, Chalmers University of Technology, SE41128 Gothenburg, Sweden; Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark, DK2800 Lyngby, Denmark.
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26
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Annageldiyev C, Sharma A, Barth BM, Fox TE, Deering T, Devine V, Keasey NR, Stern ST, Young MM, Wang HGW, Liao J, Zhu J, Viny AD, Levine RL, Loughran TP, Kester M, Claxton DF. Abstract 5832: Sphingolipid metabolism determines the efficacy of nanoliposomal ceramide in acute myeloid leukemia. Cancer Res 2018. [DOI: 10.1158/1538-7445.am2018-5832] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Therapeutic advances for the treatment of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) have been limited in part due to the heterogeneity and complexity of the disease and a poor understanding of its underlying biology. The leukemia stem cell (LSC) arguably resists current therapy resulting in relapses for most initially treatment sensitive patients. AML with myelodysplastic syndrome related changes (AML-MRC) highlights this challenge, representing a very poor outlook subset. The present study sought to understand the underlying sphingolipid biology in and AML, and to evaluate the efficacy of nanoliposomal ceramide (Lip-C6). Sphingolipids play essential roles in cell survival and proliferation, as well as stress and death. Lip-C6, which delivers a short-chain analog of the pro-apoptotic sphingolipid ceramide, has been in development as an anticancer therapeutic. The efficacy of Lip-C6 therapy was evaluated in both in vitro and in vivo models using primary AML cells and AML cell lines. Evaluation and characterization of the effect of treatment with Lip-C6 was done through lipidomic, short term assays such as apoptosis, autophagy and colony formation assays. Efficacy of Lip-C6 and vinblastine was tested in patient derived xenograft models and mouse - human cell line xenograft MV-411. NOD SCID gamma (NSG) mice were injected with luciferase/YFP labeled cells and monitored by bioluminescence imaging (BLI) for the leukemia progression and efficacy. Sphingolipid metabolism was observed to be elevated in patient samples with De Novo AML but not those with AML-MRC. Apoptosis induced by Lip-C6 in CD34+ve/CD38-ve “LSCs” was robust in AML-MRC, but limited in De Novo AMLs. Similarly, AML colonies forming cells were more sensitive to Lip-C6 in AML- MRC than in De Novo cases. It was hypothesized that elevated sphingolipid metabolism and the upregulation of pro-survival pathways such as autophagy contributed to Lip-C6 resistance in De Novo AML. Vinblastine, when combined with Lip-C6, focused sphingolipid metabolism towards pro-apoptotic metabolites and blocked autophagy. In-vivo combination of Lip-C6 and vinblastine uniquely yielded long term control of leukemia progression without systemic toxicity, translating in to prolonged overall leukemia free survival compared to single agents. Altogether, this study shows fundamental biological differences in sphingolipid metabolism between De Novo AML and AML-MRC. The combination of Vinblastine and Lip-C6 targets the LSC and yields apparent cure of lethal human xenograft AML.
Citation Format: Charyguly Annageldiyev, Arati Sharma, Brian M. Barth, Todd E. Fox, Tye Deering, Viola Devine, Nicole R. Keasey, Stephan T. Stern, Megan M. Young, Hong-Gang Wan Wang, Jason Liao, Junjia Zhu, Aaron D. Viny, Ross L. Levine, Thomas P. Loughran, Mark Kester, David F. Claxton. Sphingolipid metabolism determines the efficacy of nanoliposomal ceramide in acute myeloid leukemia [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 5832.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Arati Sharma
- 1Penn State Univ. College of Medicine, Hershey, PA
| | | | - Todd E. Fox
- 3University of Virginia , School of Medicine, Charlottesville,, VA
| | - Tye Deering
- 4nanoSTAR Institute, University of Virginia, Charlottesville,, VA
| | - Viola Devine
- 1Penn State Univ. College of Medicine, Hershey, PA
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Aaron D. Viny
- 7Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY
| | | | | | - Mark Kester
- 4nanoSTAR Institute, University of Virginia, Charlottesville,, VA
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27
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Tan SF, Liu X, Fox TE, Barth BM, Sharma A, Turner SD, Awwad A, Dewey A, Doi K, Spitzer B, Shah MV, Morad SAF, Desai D, Amin S, Zhu J, Liao J, Yun J, Kester M, Claxton DF, Wang HG, Cabot MC, Schuchman EH, Levine RL, Feith DJ, Loughran TP. Acid ceramidase is upregulated in AML and represents a novel therapeutic target. Oncotarget 2018; 7:83208-83222. [PMID: 27825124 PMCID: PMC5347763 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.13079] [Citation(s) in RCA: 67] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2016] [Accepted: 10/13/2016] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
There is an urgent unmet need for new therapeutics in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) as standard therapy has not changed in the past three decades and outcome remains poor for most patients. Sphingolipid dysregulation through decreased ceramide levels and elevated sphingosine 1-phosphate (S1P) promotes cancer cell growth and survival. Acid ceramidase (AC) catalyzes ceramide breakdown to sphingosine, the precursor for S1P. We report for the first time that AC is required for AML blast survival. Transcriptome analysis and enzymatic assay show that primary AML cells have high levels of AC expression and activity. Treatment of patient samples and cell lines with AC inhibitor LCL204 reduced viability and induced apoptosis. AC overexpression increased the expression of anti-apoptotic Mcl-1, significantly increased S1P and decreased ceramide. Conversely, LCL204 induced ceramide accumulation and decreased Mcl-1 through post-translational mechanisms. LCL204 treatment significantly increased overall survival of C57BL/6 mice engrafted with leukemic C1498 cells and significantly decreased leukemic burden in NSG mice engrafted with primary human AML cells. Collectively, these studies demonstrate that AC plays a critical role in AML survival through regulation of both sphingolipid levels and Mcl-1. We propose that AC warrants further exploration as a novel therapeutic target in AML.
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Affiliation(s)
- Su-Fern Tan
- Department of Medicine, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA
| | - Xin Liu
- Penn State Hershey Cancer Institute, Hershey, PA, USA
| | - Todd E Fox
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA
| | - Brian M Barth
- Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Biomedical Sciences, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH, USA
| | - Arati Sharma
- Penn State Hershey Cancer Institute, Hershey, PA, USA
| | - Stephen D Turner
- Public Health Sciences, University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville, VA, USA
| | - Andy Awwad
- Penn State Hershey Cancer Institute, Hershey, PA, USA
| | - Alden Dewey
- Penn State Hershey Cancer Institute, Hershey, PA, USA
| | - Kenichiro Doi
- Department of Pathology, Osaka City University Medical School, Osaka, Japan
| | - Barbara Spitzer
- Human Oncology and Pathogenesis Program and Leukemia Service, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Mithun Vinod Shah
- Department of Stem Cell Transplantation and Cellular Therapy, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Samy A F Morad
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, East Carolina University, Brody School of Medicine, Greenville, NC, USA.,Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, South Valley University, Qena, Egypt
| | - Dhimant Desai
- Department of Pharmacology, Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, Hershey, PA, USA
| | - Shantu Amin
- Department of Pharmacology, Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, Hershey, PA, USA
| | - Junjia Zhu
- Penn State Hershey Cancer Institute, Hershey, PA, USA
| | - Jason Liao
- Penn State Hershey Cancer Institute, Hershey, PA, USA
| | - Jong Yun
- Penn State Hershey Cancer Institute, Hershey, PA, USA.,Department of Pharmacology, Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, Hershey, PA, USA
| | - Mark Kester
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA
| | | | - Hong-Gang Wang
- Penn State Hershey Cancer Institute, Hershey, PA, USA.,Department of Pediatrics, Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, Hershey, PA, USA
| | - Myles C Cabot
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, East Carolina University, Brody School of Medicine, Greenville, NC, USA
| | - Edward H Schuchman
- Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mt. Sinai, New York, USA
| | - Ross L Levine
- Human Oncology and Pathogenesis Program and Leukemia Service, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - David J Feith
- Department of Medicine, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA.,University of Virginia Cancer Center, Charlottesville, VA, USA
| | - Thomas P Loughran
- Department of Medicine, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA.,University of Virginia Cancer Center, Charlottesville, VA, USA
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28
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Pearson JM, Tan SF, Sharma A, Fox TE, Abad JL, Fabrias G, Claxton DF, Feith DJ, Kester M, Loughran TP. Abstract 48: Acid ceramidase inhibition: A targeted therapy for acute myeloid leukemia. Clin Cancer Res 2017. [DOI: 10.1158/1557-3265.hemmal17-48] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a disease characterized by uncontrolled proliferation of immature myeloid cells in the blood and bone marrow. Patient 5-year survival rate is only 26%, and there have been no significant treatment advances for decades. Therefore, there is an urgent need to identify novel therapeutic targets. We have previously shown that acid ceramidase (AC) is upregulated in AML and high AC activity correlates with poor patient survival. We continue to validate AC as a potential therapeutic target in AML through inhibitor screening and characterization. We utilize viability assays, enzyme activity assays, Western blotting, qPCR, lipidomics, and flow cytometry to examine the effects of inhibitors on AML cell lines, patient samples, and normal controls. We have found that a newly developed selective AC inhibitor, SACLAC, significantly reduces viability of AML cells with an EC50 of approximately 3 μM, with limited effect on normal cells at an EC50 of approximately 13 μM. Treatment of AML cell lines with SACLAC effectively blocks AC activity, induces a drastic decrease of sphingosine 1-phosphate, and a 2.5-fold increase in total ceramide levels. Ongoing studies continue to explore the mechanistic basis for the loss of viability. These data support the investigation of AC as a therapeutic target in AML and define SACLAC as a potent and selective inhibitor that presents promise for preclinical studies and future clinical development.
Citation Format: Jennifer M. Pearson, Su-Fern Tan, Arati Sharma, Todd E. Fox, Jose Luis Abad, Gemma Fabrias, David F. Claxton, David J. Feith, Mark Kester, Thomas P. Loughran, Jr.. Acid ceramidase inhibition: A targeted therapy for acute myeloid leukemia [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Second AACR Conference on Hematologic Malignancies: Translating Discoveries to Novel Therapies; May 6-9, 2017; Boston, MA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Clin Cancer Res 2017;23(24_Suppl):Abstract nr 48.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Su-Fern Tan
- 1University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA,
| | - Arati Sharma
- 2The Pennsylvania State University Hershey, Hershey, PA,
| | - Todd E. Fox
- 1University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA,
| | - Jose Luis Abad
- 3Institute of Advanced Chemistry of Catalonia, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Gemma Fabrias
- 3Institute of Advanced Chemistry of Catalonia, Barcelona, Spain
| | | | | | - Mark Kester
- 1University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA,
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29
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Shin M, Snyder HW, Donvito G, Schurman LD, Fox TE, Lichtman AH, Kester M, Hsu KL. Liposomal Delivery of Diacylglycerol Lipase-Beta Inhibitors to Macrophages Dramatically Enhances Selectivity and Efficacy in Vivo. Mol Pharm 2017; 15:721-728. [PMID: 28901776 DOI: 10.1021/acs.molpharmaceut.7b00657] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Diacylglycerol lipase-beta (DAGLβ) hydrolyzes arachidonic acid (AA)-containing diacylglycerols to produce bioactive lipids including endocannabinoids and AA-derived eicosanoids involved in regulation of inflammatory signaling. Previously, we demonstrated that DAGLβ inactivation using the triazole urea inhibitor KT109 blocked macrophage inflammatory signaling and reversed allodynic responses of mice in inflammatory and neuropathic pain models. Here, we tested whether we could exploit the phagocytic capacity of macrophages to localize delivery of DAGLβ inhibitors to these cells in vivo using liposome encapsulated KT109. We used DAGLβ-tailored activity-based probes and chemical proteomic methods to measure potency and selectivity of liposomal KT109 in macrophages and tissues from treated mice. Surprisingly, delivery of ∼5 μg of liposomal KT109 was sufficient to achieve ∼80% inactivation of DAGLβ in macrophages with no apparent activity in other tissues in vivo. Our macrophage-targeted delivery resulted in a >100-fold enhancement in antinociceptive potency compared with free compound in a mouse inflammatory pain model. Our studies describe a novel anti-inflammatory strategy that is achieved by targeted in vivo delivery of DAGLβ inhibitors to macrophages.
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Affiliation(s)
- Myungsun Shin
- Department of Chemistry , University of Virginia , Charlottesville , Virginia 22904 , United States
| | - Helena W Snyder
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering , University of Virginia , Charlottesville , Virginia 22904 , United States
| | - Giulia Donvito
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology , Virginia Commonwealth University , Richmond , Virginia 23298 United States
| | - Lesley D Schurman
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology , Virginia Commonwealth University , Richmond , Virginia 23298 United States
| | - Todd E Fox
- Department of Pharmacology , University of Virginia , Charlottesville , Virginia 22908 , United States.,University of Virginia Cancer Center , University of Virginia , Charlottesville , Virginia 22903 , United States
| | - Aron H Lichtman
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology , Virginia Commonwealth University , Richmond , Virginia 23298 United States
| | - Mark Kester
- Department of Pharmacology , University of Virginia , Charlottesville , Virginia 22908 , United States.,University of Virginia Cancer Center , University of Virginia , Charlottesville , Virginia 22903 , United States
| | - Ku-Lung Hsu
- Department of Chemistry , University of Virginia , Charlottesville , Virginia 22904 , United States.,Department of Pharmacology , University of Virginia , Charlottesville , Virginia 22908 , United States
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30
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Hengst JA, Dick TE, Sharma A, Doi K, Hegde S, Tan SF, Geffert LM, Fox TE, Sharma AK, Desai D, Amin S, Kester M, Loughran TP, Paulson RF, Claxton DF, Wang HG, Yun JK. SKI-178: A Multitargeted Inhibitor of Sphingosine Kinase and Microtubule Dynamics Demonstrating Therapeutic Efficacy in Acute Myeloid Leukemia Models. Cancer Transl Med 2017; 3:109-121. [PMID: 28890935 DOI: 10.4103/ctm.ctm_7_17] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
AIM To further characterize the selectivity, mechanism-of-action and therapeutic efficacy of the novel small molecule inhibitor, SKI-178. METHODS Using the state-of-the-art Cellular Thermal Shift Assay (CETSA) technique to detect "direct target engagement" of proteins intact cells, in vitro and in vivo assays, pharmacological assays and multiple mouse models of acute myeloid leukemia (AML). RESULTS Herein, we demonstrate that SKI-178 directly target engages both Sphingosine Kinase 1 and 2. We also present evidence that, in addition to its actions as a Sphingosine Kinase Inhibitor, SKI-178 functions as a microtubule network disrupting agent both in vitro and in intact cells. Interestingly, we separately demonstrate that simultaneous SphK inhibition and microtubule disruption synergistically induces apoptosis in AML cell lines. Furthermore, we demonstrate that SKI-178 is well tolerated in normal healthy mice. Most importantly, we demonstrate that SKI-178 has therapeutic efficacy in several mouse models of AML. CONCLUSION SKI-178 is a multi-targeted agent that functions both as an inhibitor of the SphKs as well as a disruptor of the microtubule network. SKI-178 induced apoptosis arises from a synergistic interaction of these two activities. SKI-178 is safe and effective in mouse models of AML, supporting its further development as a multi-targeted anti-cancer therapeutic agent.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeremy A Hengst
- Department of Pharmacology, Penn State Hershey College of Medicine, Hershey, PA, USA.,The Jake Gittlen Laboratories for Cancer Research, The Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, Hershey, PA, USA
| | - Taryn E Dick
- Department of Pharmacology, Penn State Hershey College of Medicine, Hershey, PA, USA.,The Jake Gittlen Laboratories for Cancer Research, The Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, Hershey, PA, USA
| | - Arati Sharma
- Department of Pharmacology, Penn State Hershey College of Medicine, Hershey, PA, USA
| | - Kenichiro Doi
- Department of Pediatrics, Penn State Hershey College of Medicine, Hershey, PA, USA
| | - Shailaja Hegde
- Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
| | - Su-Fern Tan
- University of Virginia Cancer Center, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA
| | - Laura M Geffert
- Department of Pharmacology, Penn State Hershey College of Medicine, Hershey, PA, USA.,The Jake Gittlen Laboratories for Cancer Research, The Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, Hershey, PA, USA
| | - Todd E Fox
- University of Virginia Cancer Center, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA
| | - Arun K Sharma
- Department of Pharmacology, Penn State Hershey College of Medicine, Hershey, PA, USA
| | - Dhimant Desai
- Department of Pharmacology, Penn State Hershey College of Medicine, Hershey, PA, USA
| | - Shantu Amin
- Department of Pharmacology, Penn State Hershey College of Medicine, Hershey, PA, USA
| | - Mark Kester
- University of Virginia Cancer Center, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA
| | - Thomas P Loughran
- University of Virginia Cancer Center, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA
| | - Robert F Paulson
- Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
| | - David F Claxton
- Department of Hematology, Penn State Hershey Cancer Institute, Hershey, PA, USA
| | - Hong-Gang Wang
- Department of Pediatrics, Penn State Hershey College of Medicine, Hershey, PA, USA
| | - Jong K Yun
- Department of Pharmacology, Penn State Hershey College of Medicine, Hershey, PA, USA.,The Jake Gittlen Laboratories for Cancer Research, The Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, Hershey, PA, USA
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31
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Vijayan M, Xia C, Song YE, Ngo H, Studstill CJ, Drews K, Fox TE, Johnson MC, Hiscott J, Kester M, Alexander S, Hahm B. Sphingosine 1-Phosphate Lyase Enhances the Activation of IKKε To Promote Type I IFN-Mediated Innate Immune Responses to Influenza A Virus Infection. J Immunol 2017; 199:677-687. [PMID: 28600291 DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.1601959] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2016] [Accepted: 05/12/2017] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Sphingosine 1-phosphate (S1P) lyase (SPL) is an intracellular enzyme that mediates the irreversible degradation of the bioactive lipid S1P. We have previously reported that overexpressed SPL displays anti-influenza viral activity; however, the underlying mechanism is incompletely understood. In this study, we demonstrate that SPL functions as a positive regulator of IKKε to propel type I IFN-mediated innate immune responses against viral infection. Exogenous SPL expression inhibited influenza A virus replication, which correlated with an increase in type I IFN production and IFN-stimulated gene accumulation upon infection. In contrast, the lack of SPL expression led to an elevated cellular susceptibility to influenza A virus infection. In support of this, SPL-deficient cells were defective in mounting an effective IFN response when stimulated by influenza viral RNAs. SPL augmented the activation status of IKKε and enhanced the kinase-induced phosphorylation of IRF3 and the synthesis of type I IFNs. However, the S1P degradation-incompetent form of SPL also enhanced IFN responses, suggesting that SPL's pro-IFN function is independent of S1P. Biochemical analyses revealed that SPL, as well as the mutant form of SPL, interacts with IKKε. Importantly, when endogenous IKKε was downregulated using a small interfering RNA approach, SPL's anti-influenza viral activity was markedly suppressed. This indicates that IKKε is crucial for SPL-mediated inhibition of influenza virus replication. Thus, the results illustrate the functional significance of the SPL-IKKε-IFN axis during host innate immunity against viral infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Madhuvanthi Vijayan
- Department of Surgery, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65212.,Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65212
| | - Chuan Xia
- Department of Surgery, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65212.,Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65212
| | - Yul Eum Song
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65212
| | - Hanh Ngo
- Department of Surgery, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65212.,Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65212
| | - Caleb J Studstill
- Department of Surgery, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65212.,Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65212
| | - Kelly Drews
- Department of Pathology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22908
| | - Todd E Fox
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22908
| | - Marc C Johnson
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65212
| | - John Hiscott
- Istituto Pasteur-Fondazione Cenci Bolognetti, 00161 Rome, Italy; and
| | - Mark Kester
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22908
| | - Stephen Alexander
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211
| | - Bumsuk Hahm
- Department of Surgery, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65212; .,Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65212
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Ganta VC, Choi MH, Kutateladze A, Fox TE, Farber CR, Annex BH. A MicroRNA93-Interferon Regulatory Factor-9-Immunoresponsive Gene-1-Itaconic Acid Pathway Modulates M2-Like Macrophage Polarization to Revascularize Ischemic Muscle. Circulation 2017; 135:2403-2425. [PMID: 28356443 DOI: 10.1161/circulationaha.116.025490] [Citation(s) in RCA: 92] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2016] [Accepted: 03/22/2017] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Currently, no therapies exist for treating and improving outcomes in patients with severe peripheral artery disease (PAD). MicroRNA93 (miR93) has been shown to favorably modulate angiogenesis and to reduce tissue loss in genetic PAD models. However, the cell-specific function, downstream mechanisms, or signaling involved in miR93-mediated ischemic muscle neovascularization is not clear. Macrophages were best known to modulate arteriogenic response in PAD, and the extent of arteriogenic response induced by macrophages is dependent on greater M2 to M1 activation/polarization state. In the present study, we identified a novel mechanism by which miR93 regulates macrophage polarization to promote angiogenesis and arteriogenesis to revascularize ischemic muscle in experimental PAD. METHODS In vitro (macrophages, endothelial cells, skeletal muscle cells under normal and hypoxia serum starvation conditions) and in vivo experiments in preclinical PAD models (unilateral femoral artery ligation and resection) were conducted to examine the role of miR93-interferon regulatory factor-9-immunoresponsive gene-1 (IRG1)-itaconic acid pathway in macrophage polarization, angiogenesis, arteriogenesis, and perfusion recovery. RESULTS In vivo, compared with wild-type controls, miR106b-93-25 cluster-deficient mice (miR106b-93-25-/-) showed decreased angiogenesis and arteriogenesis correlating with increased M1-like macrophages after experimental PAD. Intramuscular delivery of miR93 in miR106b-93-25-/- PAD mice increased angiogenesis, arteriogenesis, and the extent of perfusion, which correlated with more M2-like macrophages in the proximal and distal hind-limb muscles. In vitro, miR93 promotes and sustains M2-like polarization even under M1-like polarizing conditions (hypoxia serum starvation). Delivery of bone marrow-derived macrophages from miR106b-93-25-/- to wild-type ischemic muscle decreased angiogenesis, arteriogenesis, and perfusion, whereas transfer of wild-type macrophages to miR106b-93-25-/- had the opposite effect. Systematic analysis of top differentially upregulated genes from RNA sequencing between miR106b-93-25-/- and wild-type ischemic muscle showed that miR93 regulates IRG1 function to modulate itaconic acid production and macrophage polarization. The 3' untranslated region luciferase assays performed to determine whether IRG1 is a direct target of miR93 revealed that IRG1 is not an miR93 target but that interferon regulatory factor-9, which can regulate IRG1 expression, is an miR93 target. In vitro, increased expression of interferon regulatory factor-9 and IRG1 and itaconic acid treatment significantly decreased endothelial angiogenic potential. CONCLUSIONS miR93 inhibits interferon regulatory factor-9 to decrease IRG1-itaconic acid production to induce M2-like polarization in ischemic muscle to enhance angiogenesis, arteriogenesis, and perfusion recovery in experimental PAD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vijay Chaitanya Ganta
- From Cardiovascular Research Center (V.C.G., M.H.C., B.H.A.), Department of Biology (A.K.), Department of Pharmacology (T.E.F.), Department of Public Health Sciences (C.R.F.), and Department of Cardiology (B.H.A.), University of Virginia, Charlottesville
| | - Min Hyub Choi
- From Cardiovascular Research Center (V.C.G., M.H.C., B.H.A.), Department of Biology (A.K.), Department of Pharmacology (T.E.F.), Department of Public Health Sciences (C.R.F.), and Department of Cardiology (B.H.A.), University of Virginia, Charlottesville
| | - Anna Kutateladze
- From Cardiovascular Research Center (V.C.G., M.H.C., B.H.A.), Department of Biology (A.K.), Department of Pharmacology (T.E.F.), Department of Public Health Sciences (C.R.F.), and Department of Cardiology (B.H.A.), University of Virginia, Charlottesville
| | - Todd E Fox
- From Cardiovascular Research Center (V.C.G., M.H.C., B.H.A.), Department of Biology (A.K.), Department of Pharmacology (T.E.F.), Department of Public Health Sciences (C.R.F.), and Department of Cardiology (B.H.A.), University of Virginia, Charlottesville
| | - Charles R Farber
- From Cardiovascular Research Center (V.C.G., M.H.C., B.H.A.), Department of Biology (A.K.), Department of Pharmacology (T.E.F.), Department of Public Health Sciences (C.R.F.), and Department of Cardiology (B.H.A.), University of Virginia, Charlottesville
| | - Brian H Annex
- From Cardiovascular Research Center (V.C.G., M.H.C., B.H.A.), Department of Biology (A.K.), Department of Pharmacology (T.E.F.), Department of Public Health Sciences (C.R.F.), and Department of Cardiology (B.H.A.), University of Virginia, Charlottesville.
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Morad SAF, Ryan TE, Neufer PD, Zeczycki TN, Davis TS, MacDougall MR, Fox TE, Tan SF, Feith DJ, Loughran TP, Kester M, Claxton DF, Barth BM, Deering TG, Cabot MC. Ceramide-tamoxifen regimen targets bioenergetic elements in acute myelogenous leukemia. J Lipid Res 2016; 57:1231-42. [PMID: 27140664 PMCID: PMC4918852 DOI: 10.1194/jlr.m067389] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2016] [Revised: 04/29/2016] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
The objective of our study was to determine the mechanism of action of the short-chain ceramide analog, C6-ceramide, and the breast cancer drug, tamoxifen, which we show coactively depress viability and induce apoptosis in human acute myelogenous leukemia cells. Exposure to the C6-ceramide-tamoxifen combination elicited decreases in mitochondrial membrane potential and complex I respiration, increases in reactive oxygen species (ROS), and release of mitochondrial proapoptotic proteins. Decreases in ATP levels, reduced glycolytic capacity, and reduced expression of inhibitors of apoptosis proteins also resulted. Cytotoxicity of the drug combination was mitigated by exposure to antioxidant. Cells metabolized C6-ceramide by glycosylation and hydrolysis, the latter leading to increases in long-chain ceramides. Tamoxifen potently blocked glycosylation of C6-ceramide and long-chain ceramides. N-desmethyltamoxifen, a poor antiestrogen and the major tamoxifen metabolite in humans, was also effective with C6-ceramide, indicating that traditional antiestrogen pathways are not involved in cellular responses. We conclude that cell death is driven by mitochondrial targeting and ROS generation and that tamoxifen enhances the ceramide effect by blocking its metabolism. As depletion of ATP and targeting the "Warburg effect" represent dynamic metabolic insult, this ceramide-containing combination may be of utility in the treatment of leukemia and other cancers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samy A F Morad
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology East Carolina Diabetes and Obesity Institute, Brody School of Medicine, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC
| | - Terence E Ryan
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology East Carolina Diabetes and Obesity Institute, Brody School of Medicine, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC
| | - P Darrell Neufer
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology East Carolina Diabetes and Obesity Institute, Brody School of Medicine, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC
| | - Tonya N Zeczycki
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology East Carolina Diabetes and Obesity Institute, Brody School of Medicine, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC
| | - Traci S Davis
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology East Carolina Diabetes and Obesity Institute, Brody School of Medicine, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC
| | - Matthew R MacDougall
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology East Carolina Diabetes and Obesity Institute, Brody School of Medicine, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC
| | - Todd E Fox
- Cancer Center, Division of Hematology Oncology, Department of Medicine Department of Pharmacology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA
| | - Su-Fern Tan
- Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, South Valley University, Qena, Egypt
| | - David J Feith
- Cancer Center, Division of Hematology Oncology, Department of Medicine Oncology, Department of Medicine
| | - Thomas P Loughran
- Cancer Center, Division of Hematology Oncology, Department of Medicine Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, South Valley University, Qena, Egypt
| | - Mark Kester
- Cancer Center, Division of Hematology Oncology, Department of Medicine
| | - David F Claxton
- Penn State Hershey Cancer Institute, The Pennsylvania State University, Hershey, PA
| | - Brian M Barth
- Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Biomedical Sciences, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH
| | - Tye G Deering
- East Carolina Diabetes and Obesity Institute, Brody School of Medicine, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC
| | - Myles C Cabot
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology East Carolina Diabetes and Obesity Institute, Brody School of Medicine, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC
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Kester M, Bassler J, Fox TE, Carter CJ, Davidson JA, Parette MR. Preclinical development of a C6-ceramide NanoLiposome, a novel sphingolipid therapeutic. Biol Chem 2016; 396:737-47. [PMID: 25838296 DOI: 10.1515/hsz-2015-0129] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2015] [Accepted: 03/21/2015] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Despite the therapeutic potential of sphingolipids, the ability to develop this class of compounds as active pharmaceutical ingredients has been hampered by issues of solubility and delivery. Beyond these technical hurdles, significant challenges in completing the necessary preclinical studies to support regulatory review are necessary for commercialization. This review seeks to identify the obstacles and potential solutions in the translation of a novel liposomal technology from the academic bench to investigational new drug (IND) stage by discussing the preclinical development of the Ceramide NanoLiposome (CNL), which is currently being developed as an anticancer drug for the initial indication of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).
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Morad SAF, Tan SF, Feith DJ, Kester M, Claxton DF, Loughran TP, Barth BM, Fox TE, Cabot MC. Modification of sphingolipid metabolism by tamoxifen and N-desmethyltamoxifen in acute myelogenous leukemia--Impact on enzyme activity and response to cytotoxics. Biochim Biophys Acta Mol Cell Biol Lipids 2015; 1851:919-28. [PMID: 25769964 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbalip.2015.03.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2014] [Revised: 01/26/2015] [Accepted: 03/04/2015] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Abstract
The triphenylethylene antiestrogen, tamoxifen, can be an effective inhibitor of sphingolipid metabolism. This off-target activity makes tamoxifen an interesting ancillary for boosting the apoptosis-inducing properties of ceramide, a sphingolipid with valuable tumor censoring activity. Here we show for the first time that tamoxifen and metabolite, N-desmethyltamoxifen (DMT), block ceramide glycosylation and inhibit ceramide hydrolysis (by acid ceramidase, AC) in human acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) cell lines and in AML cells derived from patients. Tamoxifen (1-10 μM) inhibition of AC in AML cells was accompanied by decreases in AC protein expression. Tamoxifen also depressed expression and activity of sphingosine kinase 1 (SphK1), the enzyme-catalyzing production of mitogenic sphingosine 1-phosphate (S1-P). Results from mass spectroscopy showed that tamoxifen and DMT (i) increased the levels of endogenous C16:0 and C24:1 ceramide molecular species, (ii) nearly totally halted production of respective glucosylceramide (GC) molecular species, (iii) drastically reduced levels of sphingosine (to 9% of control), and (iv) reduced levels of S1-P by 85%, in vincristine-resistant HL-60/VCR cells. The co-administration of tamoxifen with either N-(4-hydroxyphenyl)retinamide (4-HPR), a ceramide-generating retinoid, or a cell-deliverable form of ceramide, C6-ceramide, resulted in marked decreases in HL-60/VCR cell viability that far exceeded single agent potency. Combination treatments resulted in synergistic apoptotic cell death as gauged by increased Annexin V binding and DNA fragmentation and activation of caspase-3. These results show the versatility of adjuvant triphenylethylene with ceramide-centric therapies for magnifying therapeutic potential in AML. Such drug regimens could serve as effective strategies, even in the multidrug-resistant setting.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samy A F Morad
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Brody School of Medicine, East Carolina Diabetes and Obesity Institute, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC 27834, USA
| | - Su-Fern Tan
- Department of Medicine, Hematology/Oncology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22908-0716, USA
| | - David J Feith
- Department of Medicine, Hematology/Oncology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22908-0716, USA; University of Virginia Cancer Center, Charlottesville, VA 22908-0716, USA
| | - Mark Kester
- University of Virginia Cancer Center, Charlottesville, VA 22908-0716, USA
| | | | - Thomas P Loughran
- Department of Medicine, Hematology/Oncology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22908-0716, USA; University of Virginia Cancer Center, Charlottesville, VA 22908-0716, USA
| | - Brian M Barth
- Penn State Hershey Cancer Institute, Hershey, PA 17033, USA
| | - Todd E Fox
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22908-0001, USA
| | - Myles C Cabot
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Brody School of Medicine, East Carolina Diabetes and Obesity Institute, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC 27834, USA.
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Haakenson JK, Khokhlatchev AV, Choi YJ, Linton SS, Zhang P, Zaki PM, Fu C, Cooper TK, Manni A, Zhu J, Fox TE, Dong C, Kester M. Lysosomal degradation of CD44 mediates ceramide nanoliposome-induced anoikis and diminished extravasation in metastatic carcinoma cells. J Biol Chem 2015; 290:8632-43. [PMID: 25681441 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m114.609677] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
The ceramide nanoliposome (CNL) has shown promise in being able to treat a variety of primary tumors. However, its potential for treating metastatic cancer remains unknown. In this study, we demonstrate that CNL increases anoikis while preventing cancer cell extravasation under both static and physiological fluid flow conditions. Mechanistically, CNL limits metastases by decreasing CD44 protein levels in human breast and pancreatic cancer cells via lysosomal degradation of CD44, independent of palmitoylation or proteasome targeting. siRNA down-regulation of CD44 mimics CNL-induced anoikis and diminished extravasation of cancer cells. Taken together, our data indicate that ceramide limits CD44-dependent cancer cell migration, suggesting that CNL could be used to prevent and treat solid tumor metastasis.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Andrei V Khokhlatchev
- the Department of Pharmacology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia 22908, and
| | - Younhee J Choi
- the Department of Pharmacology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia 22908, and
| | | | - Pu Zhang
- the Department of Bioengineering, Pennsylvania State University, State College, Pennsylvania 16801
| | - Peter M Zaki
- the Department of Bioengineering, Pennsylvania State University, State College, Pennsylvania 16801
| | - Changliang Fu
- the Department of Bioengineering, Pennsylvania State University, State College, Pennsylvania 16801
| | | | | | - Junjia Zhu
- Public Health Sciences, Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, Hershey, Pennsylvania 17033
| | - Todd E Fox
- the Department of Pharmacology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia 22908, and
| | - Cheng Dong
- the Department of Bioengineering, Pennsylvania State University, State College, Pennsylvania 16801
| | - Mark Kester
- From the Departments of Pharmacology, the Department of Pharmacology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia 22908, and
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Dick TE, Hengst JA, Fox TE, Colledge AL, Kale VP, Sung SS, Sharma A, Amin S, Loughran TP, Kester M, Wang HG, Yun JK. The apoptotic mechanism of action of the sphingosine kinase 1 selective inhibitor SKI-178 in human acute myeloid leukemia cell lines. J Pharmacol Exp Ther 2015; 352:494-508. [PMID: 25563902 DOI: 10.1124/jpet.114.219659] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
We previously developed SKI-178 (N'-[(1E)-1-(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)ethylidene]-3-(4-methoxxyphenyl)-1H-pyrazole-5-carbohydrazide) as a novel sphingosine kinase-1 (SphK1) selective inhibitor and, herein, sought to determine the mechanism-of-action of SKI-178-induced cell death. Using human acute myeloid leukemia (AML) cell lines as a model, we present evidence that SKI-178 induces prolonged mitosis followed by apoptotic cell death through the intrinsic apoptotic cascade. Further examination of the mechanism of action of SKI-178 implicated c-Jun NH2-terminal kinase (JNK) and cyclin-dependent protein kinase 1 (CDK1) as critical factors required for SKI-178-induced apoptosis. In cell cycle synchronized human AML cell lines, we demonstrate that entry into mitosis is required for apoptotic induction by SKI-178 and that CDK1, not JNK, is required for SKI-178-induced apoptosis. We further demonstrate that the sustained activation of CDK1 during prolonged mitosis, mediated by SKI-178, leads to the simultaneous phosphorylation of the prosurvival Bcl-2 family members, Bcl-2 and Bcl-xl, as well as the phosphorylation and subsequent degradation of Mcl-1. Moreover, multidrug resistance mediated by multidrug-resistant protein1 and/or prosurvival Bcl-2 family member overexpression did not affect the sensitivity of AML cells to SKI-178. Taken together, these findings highlight the therapeutic potential of SKI-178 targeting SphK1 as a novel therapeutic agent for the treatment of AML, including multidrug-resistant/recurrent AML subtypes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Taryn E Dick
- Department of Pharmacology (T.E.D., J.A.H., A.L.C., V.P.K., S.-S.S., A.S., S.A., H.-G.W., J.K.Y.) and The Jake Gittlen Laboratories for Cancer Research (T.E.D., J.A.H., A.L.C., V.P.K., J.K.Y.), The Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, Hershey, Pennsylvania; and Department of Pharmacology (T.E.F., M.K.), and University of Virginia Cancer Center (T.P.L.), University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia
| | - Jeremy A Hengst
- Department of Pharmacology (T.E.D., J.A.H., A.L.C., V.P.K., S.-S.S., A.S., S.A., H.-G.W., J.K.Y.) and The Jake Gittlen Laboratories for Cancer Research (T.E.D., J.A.H., A.L.C., V.P.K., J.K.Y.), The Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, Hershey, Pennsylvania; and Department of Pharmacology (T.E.F., M.K.), and University of Virginia Cancer Center (T.P.L.), University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia
| | - Todd E Fox
- Department of Pharmacology (T.E.D., J.A.H., A.L.C., V.P.K., S.-S.S., A.S., S.A., H.-G.W., J.K.Y.) and The Jake Gittlen Laboratories for Cancer Research (T.E.D., J.A.H., A.L.C., V.P.K., J.K.Y.), The Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, Hershey, Pennsylvania; and Department of Pharmacology (T.E.F., M.K.), and University of Virginia Cancer Center (T.P.L.), University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia
| | - Ashley L Colledge
- Department of Pharmacology (T.E.D., J.A.H., A.L.C., V.P.K., S.-S.S., A.S., S.A., H.-G.W., J.K.Y.) and The Jake Gittlen Laboratories for Cancer Research (T.E.D., J.A.H., A.L.C., V.P.K., J.K.Y.), The Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, Hershey, Pennsylvania; and Department of Pharmacology (T.E.F., M.K.), and University of Virginia Cancer Center (T.P.L.), University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia
| | - Vijay P Kale
- Department of Pharmacology (T.E.D., J.A.H., A.L.C., V.P.K., S.-S.S., A.S., S.A., H.-G.W., J.K.Y.) and The Jake Gittlen Laboratories for Cancer Research (T.E.D., J.A.H., A.L.C., V.P.K., J.K.Y.), The Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, Hershey, Pennsylvania; and Department of Pharmacology (T.E.F., M.K.), and University of Virginia Cancer Center (T.P.L.), University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia
| | - Shen-Shu Sung
- Department of Pharmacology (T.E.D., J.A.H., A.L.C., V.P.K., S.-S.S., A.S., S.A., H.-G.W., J.K.Y.) and The Jake Gittlen Laboratories for Cancer Research (T.E.D., J.A.H., A.L.C., V.P.K., J.K.Y.), The Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, Hershey, Pennsylvania; and Department of Pharmacology (T.E.F., M.K.), and University of Virginia Cancer Center (T.P.L.), University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia
| | - Arun Sharma
- Department of Pharmacology (T.E.D., J.A.H., A.L.C., V.P.K., S.-S.S., A.S., S.A., H.-G.W., J.K.Y.) and The Jake Gittlen Laboratories for Cancer Research (T.E.D., J.A.H., A.L.C., V.P.K., J.K.Y.), The Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, Hershey, Pennsylvania; and Department of Pharmacology (T.E.F., M.K.), and University of Virginia Cancer Center (T.P.L.), University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia
| | - Shantu Amin
- Department of Pharmacology (T.E.D., J.A.H., A.L.C., V.P.K., S.-S.S., A.S., S.A., H.-G.W., J.K.Y.) and The Jake Gittlen Laboratories for Cancer Research (T.E.D., J.A.H., A.L.C., V.P.K., J.K.Y.), The Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, Hershey, Pennsylvania; and Department of Pharmacology (T.E.F., M.K.), and University of Virginia Cancer Center (T.P.L.), University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia
| | - Thomas P Loughran
- Department of Pharmacology (T.E.D., J.A.H., A.L.C., V.P.K., S.-S.S., A.S., S.A., H.-G.W., J.K.Y.) and The Jake Gittlen Laboratories for Cancer Research (T.E.D., J.A.H., A.L.C., V.P.K., J.K.Y.), The Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, Hershey, Pennsylvania; and Department of Pharmacology (T.E.F., M.K.), and University of Virginia Cancer Center (T.P.L.), University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia
| | - Mark Kester
- Department of Pharmacology (T.E.D., J.A.H., A.L.C., V.P.K., S.-S.S., A.S., S.A., H.-G.W., J.K.Y.) and The Jake Gittlen Laboratories for Cancer Research (T.E.D., J.A.H., A.L.C., V.P.K., J.K.Y.), The Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, Hershey, Pennsylvania; and Department of Pharmacology (T.E.F., M.K.), and University of Virginia Cancer Center (T.P.L.), University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia
| | - Hong-Gang Wang
- Department of Pharmacology (T.E.D., J.A.H., A.L.C., V.P.K., S.-S.S., A.S., S.A., H.-G.W., J.K.Y.) and The Jake Gittlen Laboratories for Cancer Research (T.E.D., J.A.H., A.L.C., V.P.K., J.K.Y.), The Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, Hershey, Pennsylvania; and Department of Pharmacology (T.E.F., M.K.), and University of Virginia Cancer Center (T.P.L.), University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia
| | - Jong K Yun
- Department of Pharmacology (T.E.D., J.A.H., A.L.C., V.P.K., S.-S.S., A.S., S.A., H.-G.W., J.K.Y.) and The Jake Gittlen Laboratories for Cancer Research (T.E.D., J.A.H., A.L.C., V.P.K., J.K.Y.), The Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, Hershey, Pennsylvania; and Department of Pharmacology (T.E.F., M.K.), and University of Virginia Cancer Center (T.P.L.), University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia
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Jones KA, Kim PD, Patel BB, Kelsen SG, Braverman A, Swinton DJ, Gafken PR, Jones LA, Lane WS, Neveu JM, Leung HCE, Shaffer SA, Leszyk JD, Stanley BA, Fox TE, Stanley A, Hall MJ, Hampel H, South CD, de la Chapelle A, Burt RW, Jones DA, Kopelovich L, Yeung AT. Immunodepletion plasma proteomics by tripleTOF 5600 and Orbitrap elite/LTQ-Orbitrap Velos/Q exactive mass spectrometers. J Proteome Res 2013; 12:4351-65. [PMID: 24004147 DOI: 10.1021/pr400307u] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Plasma proteomic experiments performed rapidly and economically using several of the latest high-resolution mass spectrometers were compared. Four quantitative hyperfractionated plasma proteomics experiments were analyzed in replicates by two AB SCIEX TripleTOF 5600 and three Thermo Scientific Orbitrap (Elite/LTQ-Orbitrap Velos/Q Exactive) instruments. Each experiment compared two iTRAQ isobaric-labeled immunodepleted plasma proteomes, provided as 30 labeled peptide fractions, and 480 LC-MS/MS runs delivered >250 GB of data in 2 months. Several analysis algorithms were compared. At 1% false discovery rate, the relative comparative findings concluded that the Thermo Scientific Q Exactive Mass Spectrometer resulted in the highest number of identified proteins and unique sequences with iTRAQ quantitation. The confidence of iTRAQ fold-change for each protein is dependent on the overall ion statistics (Mascot Protein Score) attainable by each instrument. The benchmarking also suggested how to further improve the mass spectrometry parameters and HPLC conditions. Our findings highlight the special challenges presented by the low abundance peptide ions of iTRAQ plasma proteome because the dynamic range of plasma protein abundance is uniquely high compared with cell lysates, necessitating high instrument sensitivity.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Steven G Kelsen
- Temple University School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 19140
| | - Alan Braverman
- Temple University School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 19140
| | | | - Philip R Gafken
- Proteomics Shared Resources, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA 98109
| | - Lisa A Jones
- Proteomics Shared Resources, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA 98109
| | - William S Lane
- Mass Spectrometry and Proteomics Resource Laboratory, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138
| | - John M Neveu
- Mass Spectrometry and Proteomics Resource Laboratory, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138
| | - Hon-Chiu E Leung
- Mass Spectrometry and Proteomics Core Facility, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030
| | - Scott A Shaffer
- Proteomics and Mass Spectrometry Facility, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA 01545
| | - John D Leszyk
- Proteomics and Mass Spectrometry Facility, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA 01545
| | - Bruce A Stanley
- Mass Spectrometry Core, Penn State College of Medicine, Hershey, PA 17033
| | - Todd E Fox
- Mass Spectrometry Core, Penn State College of Medicine, Hershey, PA 17033
| | - Anne Stanley
- Mass Spectrometry Core, Penn State College of Medicine, Hershey, PA 17033
| | | | - Heather Hampel
- Human Cancer Genetics Program, the Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210
| | - Christopher D South
- Human Cancer Genetics Program, the Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210
| | | | - Randall W Burt
- Huntsman Cancer Institute, the U. of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84112
| | - David A Jones
- Huntsman Cancer Institute, the U. of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84112
| | - Levy Kopelovich
- Division of Cancer Prevention, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD 20892
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Morad SAF, Levin JC, Tan SF, Fox TE, Feith DJ, Cabot MC. Novel off-target effect of tamoxifen--inhibition of acid ceramidase activity in cancer cells. Biochim Biophys Acta Mol Cell Biol Lipids 2013; 1831:1657-64. [PMID: 23939396 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbalip.2013.07.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2013] [Revised: 07/18/2013] [Accepted: 07/30/2013] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
Acid ceramidase (AC), EC 3.5.1.23, a lysosomal enzyme, catalyzes the hydrolysis of ceramide to constituent sphingoid base, sphingosine, and fatty acid. Because AC regulates the levels of pro-apoptotic ceramide and mitogenic sphingosine-1-phosphate, it is considered an apt target in cancer therapy. The present study reveals, for the first time, that the prominent antiestrogen, tamoxifen, is a pan-effective AC inhibitor in the low, single digit micromolar range, as demonstrated in a wide spectrum of cancer cell types, prostate, pancreatic, colorectal, and breast. Prostate cancer cells were chosen for the detailed investigations. Treatment of intact PC-3 cells with tamoxifen produced time- and dose-dependent inhibition of AC activity. Tamoxifen did not impact cell viability nor did it inhibit AC activity in cell-free assays. In pursuit of mechanism of action, we demonstrate that tamoxifen induced time-, as early as 5min, and dose-dependent, as low as 5μM, increases in lysosomal membrane permeability (LMP), and time- and dose-dependent downregulation of AC protein expression. Assessing various protease inhibitors revealed that a cathepsin B inhibitor blocked tamoxifen-elicited downregulation of AC protein; however, this action failed to restore AC activity unless assayed in a cell-free system at pH4.5. In addition, pretreatment with tamoxifen inhibited PC-3 cell migration. Toremifene, an antiestrogen structurally similar to tamoxifen, was also a potent inhibitor of AC activity. This study reveals a new, off-target action of tamoxifen that may be of benefit to enhance anticancer therapies that either incorporate ceramide or target ceramide metabolism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samy A F Morad
- John Wayne Cancer Institute at Saint John's Health Center, Department of Experimental Therapeutics, Santa Monica, CA 90404, USA
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Jiang Y, DiVittore NA, Young MM, Jia Z, Xie K, Ritty TM, Kester M, Fox TE. Altered sphingolipid metabolism in patients with metastatic pancreatic cancer. Biomolecules 2013; 3:435-48. [PMID: 24970174 PMCID: PMC4030952 DOI: 10.3390/biom3030435] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2013] [Revised: 07/10/2013] [Accepted: 07/24/2013] [Indexed: 01/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Although numerous genetic mutations and amplifications have been identified in pancreatic cancer, much of the molecular pathogenesis of the disease remains undefined. While proteomic and transcriptomic analyses have been utilized to probe and characterize pancreatic tumors, lipidomic analyses have not been applied to identify perturbations in pancreatic cancer patient samples. Thus, we utilized a mass spectrometry-based lipidomic approach, focused towards the sphingolipid class of lipids, to quantify changes in human pancreatic cancer tumor and plasma specimens. Subgroup analysis revealed that patients with positive lymph node metastasis have a markedly higher level of ceramide species (C16:0 and C24:1) in their tumor specimens compared to pancreatic cancer patients without nodal disease or to patients with pancreatitis. Also of interest, ceramide metabolites, including phosphorylated (sphingosine- and sphinganine-1-phosphate) and glycosylated (cerebroside) species were elevated in the plasma, but not the pancreas, of pancreatic cancer patients with nodal disease. Analysis of plasma level of cytokine and growth factors revealed that IL-6, IL-8, CCL11 (eotaxin), EGF and IP10 (interferon inducible protein 10, CXCL10) were elevated in patients with positive lymph nodes metastasis, but that only IP10 and EGF directly correlated with several sphingolipid changes. Taken together, these data indicate that sphingolipid metabolism is altered in human pancreatic cancer and associated with advanced disease. Assessing plasma and/or tissue sphingolipids could potentially risk stratify patients in the clinical setting.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yixing Jiang
- Pennsylvania state Hershey cancer institute, Hershey, PA17033, USA.
| | | | | | - Zhiliang Jia
- Department of gastrointestinal medical oncology, the University of Texas MD Anderson cancer center, Houston, TX77030, USA.
| | - Keping Xie
- Department of gastrointestinal medical oncology, the University of Texas MD Anderson cancer center, Houston, TX77030, USA.
| | - Timothy M Ritty
- Department of orthopedics Pennsylvania state college of medicine, 500 University Drive, Hershey, PA 17033, USA.
| | - Mark Kester
- Pennsylvania state Hershey cancer institute, Hershey, PA17033, USA.
| | - Todd E Fox
- Department of pharmacology, Hershey, PA17033, USA.
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Hankins JL, Ward KE, Linton SS, Barth BM, Stahelin RV, Fox TE, Kester M. Ceramide 1-phosphate mediates endothelial cell invasion via the annexin a2-p11 heterotetrameric protein complex. J Biol Chem 2013; 288:19726-38. [PMID: 23696646 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m113.481622] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The bioactive sphingolipid, ceramide 1-phosphate (C-1-P), has been implicated as an extracellular chemotactic agent directing cellular migration in hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells and macrophages. However, interacting proteins that could mediate these actions of C-1-P have, thus far, eluded identification. We have now identified and characterized interactions between ceramide 1-phosphate and the annexin a2-p11 heterotetramer constituents. This C-1-P-receptor complex is capable of facilitating cellular invasion. Herein, we demonstrate in both coronary artery macrovascular endothelial cells and retinal microvascular endothelial cells that C-1-P induces invasion through an extracellular matrix barrier. By employing surface plasmon resonance, lipid-binding ELISA, and mass spectrometry technologies, we have demonstrated that the heterotetramer constituents bind to C-1-P. Although the annexin a2-p11 heterotetramer constituents do not bind the lipid C-1-P exclusively, other structurally similar lipids, such as phosphatidylserine, sphingosine 1-phosphate, and phosphatidic acid, could not elicit the potent chemotactic stimulation observed with C-1-P. Further, we show that siRNA-mediated knockdown of either annexin a2 or p11 protein significantly inhibits C-1-P-directed invasion, indicating that the heterotetrameric complex is required for C-1-P-mediated chemotaxis. These results imply that extracellular C-1-P, acting through the extracellular annexin a2-p11 heterotetrameric protein, can mediate vascular endothelial cell invasion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jody L Hankins
- Department of Pharmacology, Penn State University College of Medicine, Hershey, Pennsylvania 17033, USA
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Barth BM, Shanmugavelandy SS, Kaiser JM, McGovern C, Altınoğlu Eİ, Haakenson JK, Hengst JA, Gilius EL, Knupp SA, Fox TE, Smith JP, Ritty TM, Adair JH, Kester M. PhotoImmunoNanoTherapy reveals an anticancer role for sphingosine kinase 2 and dihydrosphingosine-1-phosphate. ACS Nano 2013; 7:2132-2144. [PMID: 23373542 PMCID: PMC3757127 DOI: 10.1021/nn304862b] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Abstract
Tumor-associated inflammation mediates the development of a systemic immunosuppressive milieu that is a major obstacle to effective treatment of cancer. Inflammation has been shown to promote the systemic expansion of immature myeloid cells which have been shown to exert immunosuppressive activity in laboratory models of cancer as well as cancer patients. Consequentially, significant effort is underway toward the development of therapies that decrease tumor-associated inflammation and immunosuppressive cells. The current study demonstrated that a previously described deep tissue imaging modality, which utilized indocyanine green-loaded calcium phosphosilicate nanoparticles (ICG-CPSNPs), could be utilized as an immunoregulatory agent. The theranostic application of ICG-CPSNPs as photosensitizers for photodynamic therapy was shown to block tumor growth in murine models of breast cancer, pancreatic cancer, and metastatic osteosarcoma by decreasing inflammation-expanded immature myeloid cells. Therefore, this therapeutic modality was termed PhotoImmunoNanoTherapy. As phosphorylated sphingolipid metabolites have been shown to have immunomodulatory roles, it was hypothesized that the reduction of immature myeloid cells by PhotoImmunoNanoTherapy was dependent upon bioactive sphingolipids. Mechanistically, PhotoImmunoNanoTherapy induced a sphingosine kinase 2-dependent increase in sphingosine-1-phosphate and dihydrosphingosine-1-phosphate. Furthermore, dihydrosphingosine-1-phosphate was shown to selectively abrogate myeloid lineage cells while concomitantly allowing the expansion of lymphocytes that exerted an antitumor effect. Collectively, these findings revealed that PhotoImmunoNanoTherapy, utilizing the novel nontoxic theranostic agent ICG-CPSNP, can decrease tumor-associated inflammation and immature myeloid cells in a sphingosine kinase 2-dependent manner. These findings further defined a novel myeloid regulatory role for dihydrosphingosine-1-phosphate. PhotoImmunoNanoTherapy holds the potential to be a revolutionary treatment for cancers with inflammatory and immunosuppressive phenotypes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brian M Barth
- Department of Pharmacology, The Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, Hershey, Pennsylvania 17033, United States.
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Watters RJ, Fox TE, Tan SF, Shanmugavelandy S, Choby JE, Broeg K, Liao J, Kester M, Cabot MC, Loughran TP, Liu X. Targeting glucosylceramide synthase synergizes with C6-ceramide nanoliposomes to induce apoptosis in natural killer cell leukemia. Leuk Lymphoma 2012. [PMID: 23181473 DOI: 10.3109/10428194.2012.752485] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
Abstract
Abstract Natural killer (NK) cell leukemia is characterized by clonal expansion of CD3 - NK cells and comprises both chronic and aggressive forms. Currently no effective treatment exists, thus providing a need for identification of novel therapeutics. Lipidomic studies revealed a dysregulated sphingolipid metabolism as evidenced by decreased levels of overall ceramide species and increased levels of cerebrosides in leukemic NK cells, concomitant with increased glucosylceramide synthase (GCS) expression. GCS, a key enzyme of this pathway, neutralizes pro-apoptotic ceramide by transfer of a uridine diphosphate (UDP)-glucose. Thus, we treated both rat and human leukemic NK cells in combination with: (1) exogenous C6-ceramide nanoliposomes in order to target mitochondria and increase physiological pro-apoptotic levels of long chain ceramide, and (2) 1-phenyl-2-palmitoylamino-3-morpholino-1-propanol (PPMP), an inhibitor of GCS. Co-administration of C6-ceramide nanoliposomes and PPMP elicited an increase in endogenous long-chain ceramide species, which led to cellular apoptosis in a synergistic manner via the mitochondrial intrinsic cell death pathway in leukemic NK cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca J Watters
- Penn State Hershey Cancer Institute, Pennsylvania State College of Medicine, Hershey, PA 17033-0850, USA
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Fox TE, Young MM, Pedersen MM, Han X, Gardner TW, Kester M. Diabetes diminishes phosphatidic acid in the retina: a putative mediator for reduced mTOR signaling and increased neuronal cell death. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 2012; 53:7257-67. [PMID: 22952117 DOI: 10.1167/iovs.11-7626] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
PURPOSE We demonstrated previously that pro-survival insulin receptor, PI3K-Akt, and p70 S6K signaling is diminished in models of diabetic retinopathy. As mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), an upstream activator of p70 S6Kinase is, in part, regulated by lipid-derived second messengers, such as phosphatidic acid (PA), we sought to determine if diminished mTOR/p70 S6Kinase signaling in diabetic retinas may reflect diminished PA levels. METHODS Alterations in PA mass from retinas of control and streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats were determined by mass spectrometry. The biochemical and biophysical mechanisms underlying the actions of PA on insulin-activated mTOR/p70 S6Kinase signaling were determined using R28 retinal neuronal cells. RESULTS We demonstrate a significant decrease in PA in R28 retinal neuronal cells exposed to hyperglycemia as well as in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rat retinas. Exogenous PA augmented insulin-induced protection from interleukin-1β-induced apoptosis. Moreover, exogenous PA and insulin cooperatively activated mTOR survival pathways in R28 neuronal cultures. Exogenous PA colocalized with activated mTOR/p70 S6kinase signaling elements within lipid microdomains. The biochemical consequences of this biophysical mechanism is reflected by differential phosphorylation of tuberin at threonine 1462 and serine 1798, respectively, by PA and insulin, which reduce this suppressor of mTOR/S6Kinase signaling within lipid microdomains. CONCLUSIONS These results identify PA-enriched microdomains as a putative lipid-based signaling element responsible for mTOR-dependent retinal neuronal survival. Moreover, diabetic retinal neuronal apoptosis may reflect diminished PA mass. Elevating PA concentrations and restoring mTOR signaling may be an effective therapeutic modality to reduce neuronal cell death in diabetic retinopathy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Todd E Fox
- Department of Pharmacology, Penn State College of Medicine, Hershey, PA 17033, USA
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Abstract
Resistance to therapies develops rapidly for melanoma leading to more aggressive disease. Therefore, agents are needed that specifically inhibit proteins or pathways controlling the development of this disease, which can be combined, dependent on genes deregulated in a particular patient's tumors. This study shows that elevated sphingosine-1-phosphate (S-1-P) levels resulting from increased activity of sphingosine kinase-1 (SPHK1) occur in advanced melanomas. Targeting SPHK1 using siRNA decreased anchorage-dependent and -independent growth as well as sensitized melanoma cells to apoptosis-inducing agents. Pharmacological SPHK1 inhibitors SKI-I but not SKI-II decreased S-1-P content, elevated ceramide levels, caused a G2-M block and induced apoptotic cell death in melanomas. Targeting SPHK1 using siRNA or the pharmacological agent called SKI-I decreased the levels of pAKT. Furthermore, SKI-I inhibited the expression of CYCLIN D1 protein and increased the activity of caspase-3/7, which in turn led to the degradation of PARP. In animals, SKI-I but not SKI-II retarded melanoma growth by 25-40%. Thus, targeting SPHK1 using siRNAs or SKI-I has therapeutic potential for melanoma treatment either alone or in combination with other targeted agents.
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Kaiser JM, Imai H, Haakenson JK, Brucklacher RM, Fox TE, Shanmugavelandy SS, Unrath KA, Pedersen MM, Dai P, Freeman WM, Bronson SK, Gardner TW, Kester M. Nanoliposomal minocycline for ocular drug delivery. Nanomedicine 2012; 9:130-40. [PMID: 22465498 DOI: 10.1016/j.nano.2012.03.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2011] [Revised: 01/27/2012] [Accepted: 03/13/2012] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
Abstract
UNLABELLED Nanoliposomal technology is a promising drug delivery system that could be employed to improve the pharmacokinetic properties of clearance and distribution in ocular drug delivery to the retina. We developed a nanoscale version of an anionic, cholesterol-fusing liposome that can encapsulate therapeutic levels of minocycline capable of drug delivery. We demonstrate that size extrusion followed by size-exclusion chromatography can form a stable 80-nm liposome that encapsulates minocycline at a concentration of 450 ± 30 μM, which is 2% to 3% of loading material. More importantly, these nontoxic nanoliposomes can then deliver 40% of encapsulated minocycline to the retina after a subconjunctival injection in the STZ model of diabetes. Efficacy of therapeutic drug delivery was assessed via transcriptomic and proteomic biomarker panels. For both the free minocycline and encapsulated minocycline treatments, proinflammatory markers of diabetes were downregulated at both the messenger RNA and protein levels, validating the utility of biomarker panels for the assessment of ocular drug delivery vehicles. FROM THE CLINICAL EDITOR Authors developed a nano-liposome that can encapsulate minocycline for optimized intraocular drug delivery. These nontoxic nanoliposomes delivered 40% of encapsulated minocycline to the retina after a subconjunctival injection in a diabetes model.
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Affiliation(s)
- James M Kaiser
- Department of Pharmacology, Pennsylvania State College of Medicine, Hummelstown, PA 17036, USA
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Hankins JL, Fox TE, Barth BM, Unrath KA, Kester M. Exogenous ceramide-1-phosphate reduces lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-mediated cytokine expression. J Biol Chem 2011; 286:44357-66. [PMID: 22065582 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m111.264010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) is a component of the innate immune system that recognizes a diverse group of molecular structures, such as lipopolysaccharide (LPS) from Gram-negative bacteria. TLR4 signaling ultimately leads to activation of the transcription factor, nuclear factor κB (NF-κB), and the production of cytokines. Ceramide is a bioactive sphingolipid that has been suggested to regulate TLR4-induced NF-κB signaling, although reports on the role of ceramide in TLR4 activation conflict. We investigated the possibility that ceramide metabolites, such as ceramide-1-phosphate (C-1-P), may explain these discrepancies. We now report that exogenous C-1-P, but not ceramide, reduces NF-κB-mediated gene transcription in HEK 293 cells stably transfected with human TLR4, CD14, and MD-2. We demonstrate that inhibition of NF-κB by exogenous C-1-P is dose-dependent and specific to TLR4 in a reporter assay. We further demonstrate a requirement for both the phosphate moiety and the sphingoid backbone to inhibit LPS-activated NF-κB transcription. Specifically, C-1-P prevents the degradation of IκB, the phosphorylation of the p65 subunit of NF-κB, and LPS-stimulated MAPK activation. The functional consequence of C-1-P inhibition of NF-κB is a reduction in LPS-mediated cytokine release from HEK 293 TLR4-expressing cells and human peripheral blood mononuclear cells. Taken together, these data demonstrate that C-1-P may function as an anti-inflammatory lipid mediator of immune response.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jody L Hankins
- Department of Pharmacology, Penn State University College of Medicine, Hershey, Pennsylvania 17033, USA
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Jiang Y, DiVittore NA, Kaiser JM, Shanmugavelandy SS, Fritz JL, Heakal Y, Tagaram HRS, Cheng H, Cabot MC, Staveley-O'Carroll KF, Tran MA, Fox TE, Barth BM, Kester M. Combinatorial therapies improve the therapeutic efficacy of nanoliposomal ceramide for pancreatic cancer. Cancer Biol Ther 2011; 12:574-85. [PMID: 21795855 DOI: 10.4161/cbt.12.7.15971] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Poor prognosis cancers, such as pancreatic cancer, represent inherent challenges for ceramide-based nanotherapeutics due to metabolic pathways, which neutralize ceramide to less toxic or pro-oncogenic metabolites. We have recently developed a novel 80 nanometer diameter liposomal formulation that incorporates 30 molar percent C6-ceramide, a bioactive lipid that is pro-apoptotic to many cancer cells, but not to normal cells. In this manuscript, we evaluated the efficacy of combining nanoliposomal C6-ceramide (Lip-C6) with either gemcitabine or an inhibitor of glucosylceramide synthase. We first assessed the biological effect of Lip-C6 in PANC-1 cells, a gemcitabine-resistant human pancreatic cancer cell line, and found that low doses alone did not induce cell toxicity. However, cytotoxicity was achieved by combining Lip-C6 with either non-toxic sub-therapeutic concentrations of gemcitabine or with the glucosylceramide synthase inhibitor D-threo-1-phenyl-2-decanoylamino-3-morpholino-1-propanol (PDMP). Furthermore, these combinations with Lip-C6 cooperatively inhibited PANC-1 tumor growth in vivo. Mechanistically, Lip-C6 inhibited pro-survival Akt and Erk signaling, whereas the nucleoside analog gemcitabine did not. Furthermore, by including PDMP within the nanoliposomes, which halted ceramide neutralization as evidenced by LC-MS3, the cytotoxic effects of Lip-C6 were enhanced. Collectively, we have demonstrated that nanoliposomal ceramide can be an effective anti-pancreatic cancer therapeutic in combination with gemcitabine or an inhibitor of ceramide neutralization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yixing Jiang
- Department of Medicine, Penn State College of Medicine; Hershey, PA, USA
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O'Neill SM, Yun JK, Fox TE, Kester M. Transcriptional regulation of the human neutral ceramidase gene. Arch Biochem Biophys 2011; 511:21-30. [PMID: 21531200 DOI: 10.1016/j.abb.2011.04.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2010] [Revised: 03/24/2011] [Accepted: 04/18/2011] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Ceramidases play a critical role in generating sphingosine-1-phosphate by hydrolyzing ceramide into sphingosine, a substrate for sphingosine kinase. In order to elucidate its transcriptional regulation, we identify here a putative promoter region in the 5'-UTR of the human neutral CDase (nCDase) gene. Using human genomic DNA, we cloned a 3000 bp region upstream of the translational start site of the nCDase gene. Luciferase reporter analyses demonstrated that this 3000 bp region had promoter activity, with the strongest induction occurring within the first 200 bp. Computational analysis revealed the 200 bp essential promoter region contained several well-characterized promoter elements, lacked a conical TATA box, but did contain a reverse oriented CCAAT box, a feature common to housekeeping genes. Electrophoretic mobility shift assays demonstrated that the identified candidate transcriptional response elements (TRE) bind their respective transcription factors, including NF-Y, AP-2, Oct-1, and GATA. Mutagenic analyses of the TRE revealed that these sites regulated promoter activity and mutating an individual site decreased promoter reporter activity by up to 50%. Together, our findings suggest that regulation of nCDase expression involves coordinated TATA-less transcriptional activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sean M O'Neill
- Department of Pharmacology, Penn State College of Medicine, Hershey, PA 17033, USA
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O'Neill SM, Houck KL, Yun JK, Fox TE, Kester M. AP-1 binding transcriptionally regulates human neutral ceramidase. Arch Biochem Biophys 2011; 511:31-9. [PMID: 21530485 DOI: 10.1016/j.abb.2011.04.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2010] [Revised: 03/24/2011] [Accepted: 04/14/2011] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
Many forms of cellular stress cause an elevation of endogenous ceramide levels leading to growth arrest or apoptosis. Ceramidases (CDase) play a critical role in regulating apoptosis by hydrolyzing ceramide into sphingosine, a precursor for promitogenic sphingosine-1-phosphate. Growth factor induction of neutral CDase (nCDase) has been shown to have a cytoprotective effect against cytokine-induced increases in ceramide levels. To further define the physiological regulation of nCDase, we identified a 200 bp promoter region and demonstrated that serum activated this proximal promoter, which correlated with a serum-induced increase in human nCDase mRNA expression. Computational analysis revealed a putative cis-element for AP-1, a transcription factor activated by serum. Electrophoretic mobility shift assays demonstrated that the identified transcriptional response element binds to AP-1 transcription factors. RNA interference-mediated knockdown of the AP-1 subunit, c-Jun, inhibited the activity of the human nCDase proximal promoter, whereas, c-Jun overexpression increased promoter activity, which directly correlated with human nCDase mRNA transcription, decreased ceramide mass, and protection against caspase 3/7-dependent apoptosis. Taken together, our findings suggest that c-Jun/AP-1 signaling may, in part, regulate serum-induced human nCDase gene transcription.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sean M O'Neill
- Department of Pharmacology, Penn State College of Medicine, Hershey, PA 17033, USA
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