Metadherin Regulates Inflammatory Breast Cancer Invasion and Metastasis

Inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) is one of the most lethal subtypes of breast cancer (BC), accounting for approximately 1-5% of all cases of BC. Challenges in IBC include accurate and early diagnosis and the development of effective targeted therapies. Our previous studies identified the overexpression of metadherin (MTDH) in the plasma membrane of IBC cells, further confirmed in patient tissues. MTDH has been found to play a role in signaling pathways related to cancer. However, its mechanism of action in the progression of IBC remains unknown. To evaluate the function of MTDH, SUM-149 and SUM-190 IBC cells were edited with CRISPR/Cas9 vectors for in vitro characterization studies and used in mouse IBC xenografts. Our results demonstrate that the absence of MTDH significantly reduces IBC cell migration, proliferation, tumor spheroid formation, and the expression of NF-κB and STAT3 signaling molecules, which are crucial oncogenic pathways in IBC. Furthermore, IBC xenografts showed significant differences in tumor growth patterns, and lung tissue revealed epithelial-like cells in 43% of wild-type (WT) compared to 29% of CRISPR xenografts. Our study emphasizes the role of MTDH as a potential therapeutic target for the progression of IBC.

SCAMP3 Regulates EGFR and Promotes Proliferation and Migration of Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Cells through the Modulation of AKT, ERK, and STAT3 Signaling Pathways

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is the most aggressive, metastatic, and lethal breast cancer subtype. To improve the survival of TNBC patients, it is essential to explore new signaling pathways for the further development of effective drugs. This study aims to investigate the role of the secretory carrier membrane protein 3 (SCAMP3) in TNBC and its association with the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR). Through an internalization assay, we demonstrated that SCAMP3 colocalizes and redistributes EGFR from the cytoplasm to the perinucleus. Furthermore, SCAMP3 knockout decreased proliferation, colony and tumorsphere formation, cell migration, and invasion of TNBC cells. Immunoblots and degradation assays showed that SCAMP3 regulates EGFR through its degradation. In addition, SCAMP3 modulates AKT, ERK, and STAT3 signaling pathways. TNBC xenograft models showed that SCAMP3 depletion delayed tumor cell proliferation at the beginning of tumor development and modulated the expression of genes from the PDGF pathway. Additionally, analysis of TCGA data revealed elevated SCAMP3 expression in breast cancer tumors. Finally, patients with TNBC with high expression of SCAMP3 showed decreased RFS and DMFS. Our findings indicate that SCAMP3 could contribute to TNBC development through the regulation of multiple pathways and has the potential to be a target for breast cancer therapy.

Ganoderma lucidum enhances carboplatin chemotherapy effect by inhibiting the DNA damage response pathway and stemness

Inflammatory Breast Cancer (IBC) is a rare and aggressive type of breast cancer with a poor prognosis. Its management is challenging because of a lack of targeted therapies, increased metastatic potential, and high recurrence rates. Interest in using platinum agents such as carboplatin emerged from data suggesting frequent DNA repair defects in breast cancer. Because studies show that medicinal mushroom Ganoderma lucidum (GLE) sensitizes cancer cells to radiation and other drugs; herein, we aimed to investigate the therapeutic potential of GLE, alone or in combination with carboplatin in breast cancer models. Our studies were focused on the regulation of the DNA Damage Response (DDR) and on cancer cell stemness. Carboplatin and GLE were tested in vitro using the IBC cell line, SUM-149, breast cancer non-IBC cells, MDA-MB-231, and in vivo using IBC xenograft models. Our results show that the GLE/carboplatin combination decreased cell viability, induced cell death by two different mechanisms, and delayed the response to DNA damage. Furthermore, the combination suppressed mammosphere formation and the expression of cancer stemness proteins. In xenograft models, the combination showed significant tumor growth inhibitory effects without systemic toxicity. This study emphasizes the potential of this dual therapy for IBC patients.

Characterization of Inflammatory Breast Cancer in Hispanic Women from Puerto Rico

Background: Breast cancer (BC) is the most diagnosed cancer and the leading cause of cancer death among women in Puerto Rico (PR). Inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) is considered the most aggressive BC subtype. This study characterized the IBC population of Hispanic women living in Puerto Rico and aimed to estimate the IBC survival rate using data from the Puerto Rico Central Cancer Registry (PRCCR). Methods: This is a retrospective, population-based study using the PRCCR database and the Health Insurance Linkage Database (PRCCR-HILD). We analyzed data from patients that were diagnosed with IBC from January 1, 2008 to December 31, 2018. Patients were identified using the International Classification of Diseases for Oncology, 3rd edition (ICD-O-3) site codes C50.0-C50.9 and histology code 8530. Variables such as age at diagnosis, marital status, health insurance, geographic area of residence, staging variables, tumor receptor subtypes, treatment received, and overall survival (OS) were studied. Statistical analysis methods were employed to describe the population, estimate survival curves and examine the risk of dying. Results: The data of 51 patients were included. The mean age at diagnosis of IBC in the current study was 59 years old. A total of 62.8% of patients had no metastases at diagnosis and 64.7% were diagnosed with stage III disease. Most tumors presented with ER+/PR+/Her2- (21.6%), or a triple negative (ER-/PR-/Her2-, 15.7%) tumor concordance. The OS during the first year was 66% (90% CI: 0.54-0.76), whereas 36 months post-diagnosis was at a low 39% (90% CI: 0.27-0.59). The triple-negative subtype had the worst survival at 36 months (36% [90% CI: 0.11-0.62]). This study revealed through Cox regression analysis that women with stage IV disease and those with ER-/PR- tumor subtype have a higher risk of dying (HR 4.99; [90% CI: 2.30-10.83] and HR 4.74; [90% CI: 1.88-11.95]), respectively. Conclusions: Our results suggest that the Puerto Rican IBC patient population presents unique characteristics. This is the first research to describe the patient profile and characteristics of women diagnosed with IBC in PR. This research increases awareness about this lethal disease in PR.

Soy and Frequent Dairy Consumption with Subsequent Equol Production Reveals Decreased Gut Health in a Cohort of Healthy Puerto Rican Women

The U.S. Hispanic female population has one of the highest breast cancer (BC) incidence and mortality rates, while BC is the leading cause of cancer death in Puerto Rican women. Certain foods may predispose to carcinogenesis. Our previous studies indicate that consuming combined soy isoflavones (genistein, daidzein, and glycitein) promotes tumor metastasis possibly through increased protein synthesis activated by equol, a secondary dietary metabolite. Equol is a bacterial metabolite produced in about 20-60% of the population that harbor and exhibit specific gut microbiota capable of producing it from daidzein. The aim of the current study was to investigate the prevalence of equol production in Puerto Rican women and identify the equol producing microbiota in this understudied population. Herein, we conducted a cross-sectional characterization of equol production in a clinically based sample of eighty healthy 25-50 year old Puerto Rican women. Urine samples were collected and evaluated by GCMS for the presence of soy isoflavones and metabolites to determine the ratio of equol producers to equol non-producers. Furthermore, fecal samples were collected for gut microbiota characterization on a subset of women using next generation sequencing (NGS). We report that 25% of the participants were classified as equol producers. Importantly, the gut microbiota from equol non-producers demonstrated a higher diversity. Our results suggest that healthy women with soy and high dairy consumption with subsequent equol production may result in gut dysbiosis by having reduced quantities (diversity) of healthy bacterial biomarkers, which might be associated to increased diseased outcomes (e.g., cancer, and other diseases).

Building Diverse Mentoring Networks that Transcend Boundaries in Cancer Research

Scientists at all career stages can benefit from building diverse mentoring networks that transcend boundaries and promote inclusion. In this piece, we define mentoring networks, describe examples of how mentoring networks can reinforce scientific identity, and help minority scientists overcome unique challenges to achieve their goals in cancer research.

Mesenchymal Cells Support the Oncogenicity and Therapeutic Response of the Hedgehog Pathway in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer

The paracrine interaction between tumor cells and adjacent stroma has been associated with the oncogenic activity of the Hedgehog (Hh) pathway in triple-negative breast tumors. The present study developed a model of paracrine Hh signaling and examined the impact of mesenchymal cell sources and culture modalities in the oncogenicity of the Hh pathway in breast tumor cells. Studies consisted of tumor cell monocultures and co-cultures with cancer-associated and normal fibroblasts, tumor cells that undergo epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT), or adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (ADMSCs). Hh ligand and pathway inhibitors, GANT61 and NVP-LDE225 (NVP), were evaluated in both cell cultures and a mouse xenograft model. Results in monocultures show that tumor cell viability and Hh transcriptional activity were not affected by Hh inhibitors. In co-cultures, down-regulation of GLI1, SMO, and PTCH1 in the stroma correlated with reduced tumor growth rates in xenografted tumors and cell cultures, confirming a paracrine interaction. Fibroblasts and EMT cells supported Hh transcriptional activity and enhanced tumor cell growth. Mixed and adjacent culture modalities indicate that tumor growth is supported via fibroblast-secreted soluble factors, whereas enriched tumor stemness requires close proximity between tumor and fibroblasts. Overall this study provides a tumor–mesenchymal model of Hh signaling and highlights the therapeutic value of mesenchymal cells in the oncogenic activity of the Hh pathway.

Abstract 1869: Mechanistic evaluation of ergosterol peroxide onin vitrobreast cancer models

Ganoderma lucidum extract (GLE), an extensively studied mushroom for its anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory properties, has been shown to possess physiologically active compounds such as polysaccharides, triterpenoids and sterols. In our previous studies, we reported that commercially available GLE whole mushroom extract selectively inhibits cancer cell viability, induces apoptosis, reduces invasion, and regulates key signaling molecules in various cell models of breast cancer. Hence, we sought to elucidate the compounds responsible for the observed anti-cancer activity. Among the isolated compounds from GLE, we identified a steroidal compound, Ergosterol Peroxide (EP), which has shown antiproliferative activity against cancer. EP is a member of natural endoperoxides, featuring the peroxy- warhead that can lead to hydroxyperoxy radicals or be activated and react as nucleophile, leading to significant biological cytotoxicity against various cancer models (e.g. ovarian, liver, colon). We hypothesized that EP would promote cell death mechanisms in the aggressive breast cancer phenotype. Thus, in this study, we evaluated EP’s anti-cancer potential using immunoblotting, colony formation, cell motility, cell cycle and reactive oxygen species (ROS) production assays against human breast cancer SUM-149, MCF-7, MDA-MB-231 cellular models. We show that EP displays anti-proliferative effects through cell arrest in G1 phase, and apoptosis induction via caspase 3/7 activation. EP induced ROS and decreased the migratory and invasive phenotype of these cancer cells. Moreover, it inhibited the expression of total AKT1, AKT2, BCL-2, BCL-XL, Cyclin D1 and c-Myc. Our combined results indicate that EP from GLE is a promising molecular scaffold for further exploration as an anti-cancer agent,particularly in aggressive breast cancer models.

Citation Format: Camille L. Santiago, Fatima Rivas, Taotao Ling, Ivette J. Suarez-Arroyo, Gabriela Ortiz, Mercedes Y. Lacourt, Anibal Valentin, Walter H. Lang, Michelle M. Martínez-Montemayor. Mechanistic evaluation of ergosterol peroxide onin vitrobreast cancer models [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2019; 2019 Mar 29-Apr 3; Atlanta, GA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2019;79(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 1869.

Identification of Biologically Active Ganoderma lucidum Compounds and Synthesis of Improved Derivatives That Confer Anti-cancer Activities in vitro

We previously reported that Ganoderma lucidum extract (GLE) demonstrate significant anti-cancer activity against triple negative inflammatory breast cancer models. Herein, we aimed to elucidate the bioactive compounds of GLE responsible for this anti-cancer activity. We performed NMR, X-ray crystallography and analog derivatization as well as anti-cancer activity studies to elucidate and test the compounds. We report the structures of the seven most abundant GLE compounds and their selective efficacy against triple negative (TNBC) and inflammatory breast cancers (IBC) and other human cancer cell types (solid and blood malignancies) to illustrate their potential as anti-cancer agents. Three of the seven compounds (ergosterol, 5,6-dehydroergosterol and ergosterol peroxide) exhibited significant in vitro anti-cancer activities, while we report for the first time the structure elucidation of 5,6-dehydroergosterol from Ganoderma lucidum. We also show for the first time in TNBC/IBC cells that ergosterol peroxide (EP) displays anti-proliferative effects through G1 phase cell cycle arrest, apoptosis induction via caspase 3/7 activation, and PARP cleavage. EP decreased migratory and invasive effects of cancer cells while inhibiting the expression of total AKT1, AKT2, BCL-XL, Cyclin D1 and c-Myc in the tested IBC cells. Our investigation also indicates that these compounds induce reactive oxygen species, compromising cell fate. Furthermore, we generated a superior derivative, ergosterol peroxide sulfonamide, with improved potency in IBC cells and ample therapeutic index (TI > 10) compared to normal cells. The combined studies indicate that EP from Ganoderma lucidum extract is a promising molecular scaffold for further exploration as an anti-cancer agent.

The proteome signature of the inflammatory breast cancer plasma membrane identifies novel molecular markers of disease

Inflammatory Breast Cancer (IBC) is the most lethal form of breast cancer with a 35% 5-year survival rate. The accurate and early diagnosis of IBC and the development of targeted therapy against this deadly disease remain a great medical challenge. Plasma membrane proteins (PMPs) such as E-cadherin and EGFR, play an important role in the progression of IBC. Because the critical role of PMPs in the oncogenic processes they are the perfect candidates as molecular markers and targets for cancer therapies. In the present study, Stable Isotope Labeling with Amino Acids in Cell Culture (SILAC) followed by mass spectrometry analysis was used to compare the relative expression levels of membrane proteins (MP) between non-cancerous mammary epithelial and IBC cells, MCF-10A and SUM-149, respectively. Six of the identified PMPs were validated by immunoblotting using the membrane fractions of non-IBC and IBC cell lines, compared with MCF-10A cells. Immunohistochemical analysis using IBC, invasive ductal carcinoma or normal mammary tissue samples was carried out to complete the validation method in nine of the PMPs. We identified and quantified 278 MPs, 76% of which classified as PMPs with 1.3-fold or higher change. We identified for the first time the overexpression of the novel plasminogen receptor, PLGRKT in IBC and of the carrier protein, SCAMP3. Furthermore, we describe the positive relationship between L1CAM expression and metastasis in IBC patients and the role of SCAMP3 as a tumor-related protein. Overall, the membrane proteomic signature of IBC reflects a global change in cellular organization and suggests additional strategies for cancer progression. Together, this study provides insight into the specialized IBC plasma membrane proteome with the potential to identify a number of novel therapeutic targets for IBC.

Ganoderma lucidum Combined with the EGFR Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitor, Erlotinib Synergize to Reduce Inflammatory Breast Cancer Progression

The high incidence of resistance to Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors (TKIs) targeted against EGFR and downstream pathways has increased the necessity to identify agents that may be combined with these therapies to provide a sustained response for breast cancer patients. Here, we investigate the therapeutic potential of Ganoderma lucidum extract (GLE) in breast cancer, focusing on the regulation of the EGFR signaling cascade when treated with the EGFR TKI, Erlotinib. SUM-149, or intrinsic Erlotinib resistant MDA-MB-231 cells, and a successfully developed Erlotinib resistant cell line, rSUM-149 were treated with increasing concentrations of Erlotinib, GLE, or their combination (Erlotinib/GLE) for 72h. Treatment effects were tested on cell viability, cell proliferation, cell migration and invasion. To determine tumor progression, severe combined immunodeficient mice were injected with SUM-149 cells and then treated with Erlotinib/GLE or Erlotinib for 13 weeks. We assessed the protein expression of ERK1/2 and AKT in in vitro and in vivo models. Our results show that GLE synergizes with Erlotinib to sensitize SUM-149 cells to drug treatment, and overcomes intrinsic and developed Erlotinib resistance. Also, Erlotinib/GLE decreases SUM-149 cell viability, proliferation, migration and invasion. GLE increases Erlotinib sensitivity by inactivating AKT and ERK signaling pathways in our models. We conclude that a combinatorial therapeutic approach may be the best way to increase prognosis in breast cancer patients with EGFR overexpressing tumors.

Abstract 5548: Reishi reduces the phosphorylation of STAT-3 in inflammatory breast cancer in vitro and in vivo models

Inflammatory Breast Cancer (IBC) is an aggressive form of breast cancer (BC) with symptoms that include a diffuse redness and swelling of the breast. Pathological findings indicate the presence of tumor emboli (tumor spheroids in vitro) invading the dermal lymphatics of the breast; a process considered to be responsible for the inflammatory phenotype seen in this disease. However, these tumors produce inflammatory mediators such interleukin-6 (IL-6), which may act as growth factors that contribute with cancer progression. Some consequences of IL-6 activation include the activation of the Janus Kinase-2/Signal Transducer and Activator of Transcription 3 (STAT-3) pathway that results in triggering invasion and metastasis processes. Our published data demonstrates that the medicinal mushroom, Ganoderma lucidum (Reishi), disintegrates tumor emboli, reduces tumor growth and modulates the abundance of proteins involved in invasion cascades. In the current study, we assessed the effects of Reishi on inflammatory markers focusing on the IL-6/JAK-2/STAT-3 pathway both in vitro and in vivo. SUM-149 IBC and SUM-102 non-IBC BC cells were treated with vehicle, or Reishi at different time points to determine cancer cell viability, invasion via three-dimensional culture assays and protein abundance via immunoblots. In vivo studies were carried out in female severe combined immunodeficient (SCID) mice that were injected with SUM-149 IBC cells in their lower right mammary fat pad and then treated with vehicle, 7mg/kgBW, or 14mg/kgBW Reishi for 10wk. Our data from the in vitro study suggests that Reishi reduces cancer cell viability, and Reishi has an immunomodulatory role in SUM-149 IBC cell line, demonstrated by its ability to reduce the secretion of IL-6 and reduced phosphorylation of STAT-3 in SUM-149 cells. Cell invasion studies show that Reishi reduces invasion in IBC cells. Interestingly, Reishi reduces SUM-102 BC cell viability; however it does not affect STAT-3 signaling in the cell line. Our in vivo results show that Reishi deceases tumor volume by 46 and 77%, when treated with 7mg/kgBW, or 14mg/kgBW Reishi, respectively. Moreover, the phosphorylation of STAT-3 in tumor lysates significantly decreases in a concentration dependent manner. Our data suggests that Reishi inactivates STAT-3 both in vitro and in vivo in IBC cells, thus Reishi may be used as a targeted therapeutic for women afflicted with IBC, for whom no direct therapeutics are currently available. This project was sponsored by Title V PPOHA US Department of Education #P031M105050, NIH/NIMHD # 8G12 MD 007583, NIH/NIGMS #P20 GM103475, NIH/NIMHD #U54 MD008149.

Note: This abstract was not presented at the meeting.

Citation Format: Michelle M. Martínez-Montemayor, Luis A. Cubano, Yaliz Loperena. Reishi reduces the phosphorylation of STAT-3 in inflammatory breast cancer in vitro and in vivo models. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 106th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2015 Apr 18-22; Philadelphia, PA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2015;75(15 Suppl):Abstract nr 5548. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2015-5548

Chemical profile and in vivo hypoglycemic effects of Syzygium jambos, Costus speciosus and Tapeinochilos ananassae plant extracts used as diabetes adjuvants in Puerto Rico

BACKGROUND

The increasing numbers of people who use plant-based remedies as alternative or complementary medicine call for the validation of less known herbal formulations used to treat their ailments. Since Puerto Rico has the highest rate of Type 2 diabetes within all the states and territories of the United States, and Puerto Ricans commonly use plants as diabetes adjuvants, it is important to study the plants' physiological effects, and identify their bioactive compounds to understand their role in modulation of blood glucose levels. We present the phytochemical profiles and hypoglycemic effects of Tapeinochilus ananassae, Costus speciosus and Syzygium jambos.

METHODS

Phytochemicals in methanolic and aqueous extracts were analyzed by thin layer chromatography (TLC). Alkaloids (Bromocresol green, λ=470 nm), flavonoids (AlCl3, λ=415 nm), saponins (DNS, λ=760 nm), tannins (FeCl3/K4Fe(CN)6, λ=395 nm) and phenolics (Folin-Ciocalteau, λ=765 nm) were quantified. Male C57BLKS/J (db/db) and C57BL/J (ob/ob) genetically obese mice were orally gavaged with aqueous extracts of lyophilized plant decoctions for 10 wks.

RESULTS

Our results show that T. ananassae had significantly greater amounts of flavonoids and tannins, while S. jambos showed the greatest concentration of phenolics and C. speciosus exhibited higher amounts of alkaloids. C57BLKS/J db/db treated with plant extracts show better glucose modulation when the extracts are administered in complement with an insulin injection. Finally, C57BL/J ob/ob mice on T. ananassae and S. jambos treatments show better blood glucose modulation over time.

CONCLUSION

These results document for the first time the chemical profile of T. ananassae and provide evidence for a potential anti-diabetic efficacy of T. ananassae and S. jambos.

Abstract 3212: Ganoderma lucidum (Reishi) chemosensitizes EGFR-overexpressing inflammatory breast cancer cells to erlotinib

Inflammatory Breast Cancer (IBC) is an aggressive cancer with a unique ability of forming tumor spheroids, which invade the dermal lymphatics causing the inflammatory phenotype. IBC cell lines and human tissues, overexpress Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR), which has been associated with increasing IBC tumor growth rate, invasion and metastasis. Among the current therapeutic strategies for EGFR inhibition are the small molecule Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors (TKIs). The high incidence of resistance to such therapies has greatly diminished their overall effectiveness, thus it seems feasible to identify agents that may be combined with these TKIs to provide a sustained response for IBC patients. For this reason, the purpose of this study is to investigate Reishi's therapeutic potential in IBC, focusing on the regulation of the EGFR signaling cascade and its contribution to the IBC cellular response when treated with the EGFR TKI, erlotinib. Our hypothesis is that Reishi sensitizes IBC cells to erlotinib therapy. EGFR-overexpressing SUM-149 IBC cells were treated with several concentrations of erlotinib, 0.025mg/mL Reishi, or both treatments simultaneously for 72h. Our results showed a synergistic effect when erlotinib and Reishi are used simultaneously after 72 hours of treatment. In order to study the molecular mechanism for the improved effects of the combination treatment we successfully developed an IBC erlotinib resistant cell line from the parental SUM-149 cells. Our data revealed that Reishi increases erlotinib sensitivity by inactivating AKT and extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) signaling pathways. Taken together, our results provide evidence that Reishi chemosensitizes IBC cells to erlotinib therapy, highlighting its anti-IBC-therapeutic potential. This project was sponsored by NIH/NCI #1F31 CA174307 to ISA, Title V PPOHA US Department of Education #P031M105050 to UCC, NIH/RCMI #G12 MD007583 to UCC, NIH/INBRE #5P20 GM103475 to UPR/UCC and a research donation from the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico to UCC's University Center of Integral and Complementary Medicine (CUMIC)/MMM.

Citation Format: Ivette Suárez-Arroyo, Michael Moraskie, Luis A. Cubano, Michelle M. Martínez-Montemayor. Ganoderma lucidum (Reishi) chemosensitizes EGFR-overexpressing inflammatory breast cancer cells to erlotinib. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 105th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2014 Apr 5-9; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2014;74(19 Suppl):Abstract nr 3212. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2014-3212

Abstract 3219: Synergistic effect between Ganoderma lucidum (Reishi) and lapatinib in HER2+ inflammatory breast cancer cells

Inflammatory Breast Cancer (IBC) is the most lethal and rare form of breast cancer. It is characterized by rapid progression, local and distant metastases, younger age of onset, and lower overall survival compared with other breast cancers. Although IBC, like non-IBC breast cancers, is a heterogeneous disease and can occur as any of the five molecular breast cancer subtypes, they are most commonly either triple negative; or ER-, PR- and HER2+ overexpressed. There is no specific IBC treatment; thus, it seems feasible to find a therapeutic for this deadly disease. Our published data demonstrates that Ganoderma lucidum (Reishi) inhibits the viability of the triple negative IBC SUM149 cell line, but not of MCF10A noncancerous mammary epithelial cells. Consequently, in this study, we aimed to investigate Reishi effects in the viability of the ER-, PR-, HER2+ IBC cells lines SUM190 and KPL4. Also we studied the effects of Reishi on IBC cells when treated in complement with the HER2 Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitor, lapatinib (Tykerb®). Our hypothesis is that Reishi chemosensitizes IBC cells to lapatinib therapy. Herein, SUM190 and KPL-4 cells were treated with increasing concentrations of lapatinib and/or Reishi for 24 or 72h. Our results demonstrate that SUM190 and KPL-4 cells are sensitive to Reishi treatment. The combination of lapatinib plus Reishi reduced cell viability of SUM190 cells to 70% when treated with a concentration of 0.5mg/mL Reishi for 24h. Also, our data shows a reduction in cell viability of 94% in KPL-4 cells treated with lapatinib plus Reishi for 72h. We are currently directing our efforts to continue studying the contribution of Reishi in IBC cells when treated with lapatinib after 24 or 72h. Our results provide evidence that Reishi inhibits cancer cell viability and chemosensitizes IBC cells to lapatinib therapy, highlighting its anti-IBC-therapeutic potential. We thank Dr. Kurebayashi (Kawasaki Medical School, Japan) for providing KPL-4 cells. This project was sponsored by NIH/NCI #1F31CA174307 to ISA, Title V PPOHA US Department of Education #P031M105050 to UCC, NIH/RCMI #G12MD007583 to UCC, NIH/INBRE #5P20GM103475 to UPR/UCC and a research donation from the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico to UCC's University Center of Integral and Complementary Medicine (CUMIC)/MMM.

Citation Format: Yismeilin Feliz-Mosquea, Ivette Suárez-Arroyo, Luis A. Cubano, Michelle M. Martínez-Montemayor. Synergistic effect between Ganoderma lucidum (Reishi) and lapatinib in HER2+ inflammatory breast cancer cells. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 105th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2014 Apr 5-9; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2014;74(19 Suppl):Abstract nr 3219. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2014-3219

Abstract 3673: Role of IL-6 in inflammatory breast cancer and its modulation by Ganoderma lucid (Reishi)

Inflammatory Breast Cancer (IBC) is an aggressive and lethal form of breast cancer with symptoms that include a diffuse redness and swelling of the breast. These signs resemble an inflammation, which may suggest the involvement of both immunological and inflammatory processes in the pathogenesis of this disease. Unique pathological findings indicate the presence of tumor emboli invading the dermal lymphatics of the breast; a process considered to be responsible for the inflammatory phenotype. However, these tumors produce inflammatory mediators such interleukin-6 (IL-6), which may act as a growth factor to contribute to cancer progression. Thus, cancer cells stimulated with or that secrete IL-6 via an autocrine loop, auto-activate these pathways resulting in malignant features such as enhanced invasion and increased metastasis. Our published data demonstrates that the medicinal mushroom, Ganoderma lucidum (Reishi), disintegrates tumor emboli, and reduces tumor growth. We hypothesize that IL-6 enhances while Reishi reduces IBC progression via modulation of the JAK-2/STAT-3 pathway both in vitro and in vivo. SUM-149 wound-healing assays were performed to determine the migratory phenotype of IBC cells stimulated with IL-6 or treated with Reishi. Immunoblots of SUM-149 and KPL-4 IBC cell lysates were performed to detect the expression of the JAK-2/STAT-3 signaling pathway and its downstream effectors upon Reishi treatment. Cell fractioning was performed to delineate if the proteins affected by Reishi belong to the nuclear or cytoplasmic fraction of the cell. For in vivo studies, severe combined immunodeficient (SCID) mice were injected with SUM-149 IBC cells in their mammary fat pad and treated via oral gavage with various concentrations of Reishi for 10wk. Our data from the in vitro studies indicate that IL-6 causes wound closure after 24h, an effect prevented by Reishi. Additionally, our data suggests that Reishi has an immunomodulatory role, demonstrated by its ability to reduce the phosphorylation of the IL-6/JAK-2/STAT-3 pathway. Cell fractioning of SUM-149 and KPL-4 cells show a drastic reduction in the expression of proteins corresponding to the nuclear fraction of the cell when treated Reishi. Finally, our in vivo data show a dose dependent reduction by 3.0 and 5.5 fold in tumor volume, when mice where treated with 7mg/kg BW and 14mg/kg BW of Reishi, respectively. This data suggests that Reishi may be used as a targeted therapeutic for women afflicted with IBC, for whom no direct therapeutics are currently available. We thank Dr. Kurebayashi (Kawasaki Medical School, Japan) for providing KPL-4 cells. This project was sponsored by Title V PPOHA US Department of Education #P031M105050 to UCC, NIH/RCMI #G12 MD007583 to UCC, NIH/INBRE #P20 GM103475 to UPR/UCC and a research donation from the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico to UCC's University Center of Integral and Complementary Medicine (CUMIC)/MMM.

Citation Format: Yaliz Loperena-Alvarez, Luis A. Cubano, Michelle M. Martínez-Montemayor. Role of IL-6 in inflammatory breast cancer and its modulation by Ganoderma lucid (Reishi). [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 105th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2014 Apr 5-9; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2014;74(19 Suppl):Abstract nr 3673. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2014-3673

Anti-tumor effects of Ganoderma lucidum (reishi) in inflammatory breast cancer in in vivo and in vitro models

The medicinal mushroom Ganoderma lucidum (Reishi) was tested as a potential therapeutic for Inflammatory Breast Cancer (IBC) using in vivo and in vitro IBC models. IBC is a lethal and aggressive form of breast cancer that manifests itself without a typical tumor mass. Studies show that IBC tissue biopsies overexpress E-cadherin and the eukaryotic initiation factor 4GI (eIF4GI), two proteins that are partially responsible for the unique pathological properties of this disease. IBC is treated with a multimodal approach that includes non-targeted systemic chemotherapy, surgery, and radiation. Because of its non-toxic and selective anti-cancer activity, medicinal mushroom extracts have received attention for their use in cancer therapy. Our previous studies demonstrate these selective anti-cancer effects of Reishi, where IBC cell viability and invasion, as well as the expression of key IBC molecules, including eIF4G is compromised. Thus, herein we define the mechanistic effects of Reishi focusing on the phosphoinositide-3-kinase (PI3K)/AKT/mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway, a regulator of cell survival and growth. The present study demonstrates that Reishi treated IBC SUM-149 cells have reduced expression of mTOR downstream effectors at early treatment times, as we observe reduced eIF4G levels coupled with increased levels of eIF4E bound to 4E-BP, with consequential protein synthesis reduction. Severe combined immunodeficient mice injected with IBC cells treated with Reishi for 13 weeks show reduced tumor growth and weight by ∼50%, and Reishi treated tumors showed reduced expression of E-cadherin, mTOR, eIF4G, and p70S6K, and activity of extracellular regulated kinase (ERK1/2). Our results provide evidence that Reishi suppresses protein synthesis and tumor growth by affecting survival and proliferative signaling pathways that act on translation, suggesting that Reishi is a potential natural therapeutic for breast and other cancers.

Ganoderma lucidum (Reishi) inhibits cancer cell growth and expression of key molecules in inflammatory breast cancer

Inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) is the most lethal and least understood form of advanced breast cancer. Its lethality originates from its nature of invading the lymphatic system and absence of a palpable tumor mass. Different from other metastatic breast cancer cells, IBC cells invade by forming tumor spheroids that retain E-cadherin-based cell-cell adhesions. Herein we describe the potential of the medicinal mushroom Ganoderma lucidum (Reishi) as an attractive candidate for anti-IBC therapy. Reishi contains biological compounds that are cytotoxic against cancer cells. We report the effects of Reishi on viability, apoptosis, invasion, and its mechanism of action in IBC cells (SUM-149). Results show that Reishi selectively inhibits cancer cell viability although it does not affect the viability of noncancerous mammary epithelial cells. Apoptosis induction is consistent with decreased cell viability. Reishi inhibits cell invasion and disrupts the cell spheroids that are characteristic of the IBC invasive pathology. Reishi decreases the expression of genes involved in cancer cell survival and proliferation (BCL-2, TERT, PDGFB), and invasion and metastasis (MMP-9), whereas it increases the expression of IL8. Reishi reduces BCL-2, BCL-XL, E-cadherin, eIF4G, p120-catenin, and c-Myc protein expression and gelatinase activity. These findings suggest that Reishi is an effective anti-IBC therapeutic.

Individual and combined soy isoflavones exert differential effects on metastatic cancer progression

To investigate the effects soy isoflavones in established cancers, the role of genistein, daidzein, and combined soy isoflavones was studied on progression of subcutaneous tumors in nude mice created from green fluorescent protein (GFP) tagged-MDA-MB-435 cells. Following tumor establishment, mice were gavaged with vehicle or genistein or daidzein at 10 mg/kg body weight (BW) or a combination of genistein (10 mg/kg BW), daidzein (9 mg/kg BW), and glycitein (1 mg/kg BW) three times per week. Tumor progression was quantified by whole body fluorescence image analysis followed by microscopic image analysis of excised organs for metastases. Results show that daidzein increased while genistein decreased mammary tumor growth by 38 and 33% respectively, compared to vehicle. Daidzein increased lung and heart metastases while genistein decreased bone and liver metastases. Combined soy isoflavones did not affect primary tumor growth but increased metastasis to all organs tested, which include lung, liver, heart, kidney, and bones. Phosphoinositide-3-kinase (PI3-K) pathway real time PCR array analysis and western blotting of excised tumors demonstrate that genistein significantly downregulated 10/84 genes, including the Rho GTPases RHOA, RAC1, and CDC42 and their effector PAK1. Daidzein significantly upregulated 9/84 genes that regulate proliferation and protein synthesis including EIF4G1, eIF4E, and survivin protein levels. Combined soy treatment significantly increased gene and protein levels of EIF4E and decreased TIRAP gene expression. Differential regulation of Rho GTPases, initiation factors, and survivin may account for the disparate responses of breast cancers to genistein and daidzein diets. This study indicates that consumption of soy foods may increase metastasis.

Gene expression profiling in hepatic tissue of newly weaned pigs fed pharmacological zinc and phytase supplemented diets

Background

Zinc (Zn) is an essential trace element. However, Zn bioavailability from commonly consumed plants may be reduced due to phytic acid. Zn supplementation has been used to treat diarrheal disease in children, and in the U.S. swine industry at pharmacological levels to promote growth and fecal consistency, but underlying mechanisms explaining these beneficial effects remain unknown. Moreover, adding supplemental phytase improves Zn bioavailability. Thus, we hypothesized that benefits of pharmacological Zn supplementation result from changes in gene expression that could be further affected by supplemental phytase. The goal of this study was to investigate the effects of feeding newly weaned pigs dietary Zn (150, 1,000, or 2,000 mg Zn/kg) as Zn oxide with or without phytase [500 phytase units (FTU)/kg] for 14 d on hepatic gene expression. Liver RNA from pigs fed 150, 1,000, or 2,000 mg Zn/kg, or 1,000 mg Zn/kg with phytase (n = 4 per treatment) was reverse transcribed and examined using the differential display reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction technique. Liver RNA from pigs fed 150 or 2,000 mg Zn/kg (n = 4 per treatment) was also evaluated using a 70-mer oligonucleotide microarray.

Results

Expressed sequence tags for 61 putatively differentially expressed transcripts were cloned and sequenced. In addition, interrogation of a 13,297 element oligonucleotide microarray revealed 650 annotated transcripts (FDR ≤ 0.05) affected by pharmacological Zn supplementation. Seven transcripts exhibiting differential expression in pigs fed pharmacological Zn with sequence similarities to genes encoding GLO1, PRDX4, ACY1, ORM1, CPB2, GSTM4, and HSP70.2 were selected for confirmation. Relative hepatic GLO1 (P < 0.0007), PRDX4 (P < 0.009) and ACY1 (P < 0.01) mRNA abundances were confirmed to be greater in pigs fed 1,000 (n = 8) and 2,000 (n = 8) mg Zn/kg than in pigs fed 150 (n = 7) mg Zn/kg. Relative hepatic HSP70.2 (P < 0.002) mRNA abundance was confirmed to be lower in pigs fed 2,000 mg Zn/kg than in pigs fed 150 or 1,000 mg Zn/kg.

Conclusion

Results suggest that feeding pharmacological Zn (1,000 or 2,000 mg Zn/kg) affects genes involved in reducing oxidative stress and in amino acid metabolism, which are essential for cell detoxification and proper cell function.

Knockdown of Nurr1 in the rat hippocampus: implications to spatial discrimination learning and memory

Nurr1 expression is up-regulated in the brain following associative learning experiences, but its relevance to cognitive processes remains unclear. In these studies, rats initially received bilateral hippocampal infusions of control or antisense oligodeoxynucleotides (ODNs) 1 h prior to training in a holeboard spatial discrimination task. Such pre-training infusions of nurr1 antisense ODNs caused a moderate effect in learning the task and also impaired LTM tested 7 d later. In a second experiment, ODN infusions were given immediately after the animals had received two sessions of training, during which all animals showed normal learning. Although antisense treated rats were significantly impaired during the post-infusion stages of acquisition of the task, no group differences were observed during the LTM test given 7 d later. These animals were subjected 3 d later to reversal training in the same maze in the absence of any additional treatments. Remarkably, rats previously treated with antisense ODNs displayed perseveration: The animals were fixated with the previously learned pattern of baited holes, causing them to be significantly impaired in the extinction of acquired spatial preferences and future learning. We postulate that Nurr1 function in the hippocampus is important for normal cognitive processes.