Inhibition of IGF-I Receptor Signaling in Combination with Rapamycin or Temsirolimus Increases MYC-N Phosphorylation

BACKGROUND: It has been previously shown that blockade of the type 1 insulin-like growth factor receptor (IGF1R) signaling combined with mTOR inhibition decreased neuroblastoma proliferation in vitro. MYC-N inactivation occurs through phosphorylation by downstream elements of the IGF1R signaling pathway. It was hypothesized that inhibition of IGF1R signaling would increase the inactivation of MYC-N. MATERIALS AND METHODS: BE-2(c) and IMR-32 neuroblastoma cell lines were treated with varying concentrations of alphaIR3, rapamycin and temsirolimus either alone or in combination and the expression of MYC-N and phosphorylated MYC-N proteins were evaluated by Western blotting. The number of apoptotic cells was evaluated through cleaved caspase-3 expression. RESULTS: IGF1R signaling blockade in combination with mTOR inhibition decreased MYC-N protein expression, increased MYC-N phosphorylation and significantly increased cleaved caspase-3 expression in treated cells. CONCLUSION: The combination of rapamycin or temsirolimus with alphaIR3 decreases MYC-N expression, increases MYC-N phosphorylation and induces apoptosis in vitro which may have clinical relevance to children with neuroblastoma

Expression of insulin-like growth factor system genes during the early postnatal neurogenesis in the mouse hippocampus

Insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) is essential to hippocampal neurogenesis and the neuronal response to hypoxia/ischemia injury. IGF (IGF-1 and -2) signaling is mediated primarily by the type 1 IGF receptor (IGF-1R) and modulated by six high-affinity binding proteins (IGFBP) and the type 2 IGF receptor (IGF-2R), collectively termed IGF system proteins. Defining the precise cells that express each is essential to understanding their roles. With the exception of IGFBP-1, we found that mouse hippocampus expresses mRNA for each of these proteins during the first 2 weeks of postnatal life. Compared to postnatal day 14 (P14), mRNA abundance at P5 was higher for IGF-1, IGFBP-2, -3, and -5 (by 71%, 108%, 100%, and 98%, respectively), lower for IGF-2, IGF-2R, and IGFBP-6 (by 65%, 78%, and 44%, respectively), and unchanged for IGF-1R and IGFBP-4. Using laser capture microdissection (LCM), we found that granule neurons and pyramidal neurons exhibited identical patterns of expression of IGF-1, IGF-1R, IGF-2R, IGFBP-2, and -4, but did not express other IGF system genes. We then compared IGF system expression in mature granule neurons and their progenitors. Progenitors exhibited higher mRNA levels of IGF-1 and IGF-1R (by 130% and 86%, respectively), lower levels of IGF-2R (by 72%), and similar levels of IGFBP-4. Our data support a role for IGF in hippocampal neurogenesis and provide evidence that IGF actions are regulated within a defined in vivo milieu

A non-transformed oligodendrocyte precursor cell line, OL-1, facilitates studies of insulin-like growth factor-I signaling during oligodendrocyte development

The process by which oligodendrocyte progenitors differentiate into mature oligodendrocytes is complex and incompletely understood in part because of the paucity of oligodendrocyte precursors cell lines that can be studied in culture. We have developed a non-immortalized rat oligodendrocyte precursor line, called OL-1, which behaves in a fashion consistent with developing oligodendrocytes in vivo. This OL-1 line provides a model for the study of oligodendrocyte development and offers an alternative to the CG-4 cell line. When OL-1 cells are propagated in conditioned growth media, they have morphology consistent with immature oligodendrocytes and exhibit A2B5 antigen positive and myelin basic protein-negative immunoreactivity. Withdrawal of conditioned growth media and culture in serum-free medium results in OL-1 cell maturation, manifested by a shift to myelin basic protein-positive immunoreactivity, A2B5 antigen-negative immunoreactivity, decreased NG2 mRNA expression, increased expression of proteolipid protein mRNA, and increased expression of CNP protein. In addition, the expression of proteolipid protein and its splicing variant DM-20 exhibit a pattern that is similar to brain proteolipid protein expression during development. When OL-1 cells are exposed to Insulin-like growth factor-I, there are significant increases in proteolipid protein mRNA expression ( p < 0.05), the number of cell processes ( p < 0.05), and cell number ( p < 0.05). Treatment with the caspase inhibitors Z-DEVD-FMK and Z-VAD-FMK (inhibitors of caspases 3, 6, 7, 8, 10 and 1, 3, 4, respectively), Insulin-like growth factor-I, or both, results in a similar increase in cell number. Because Insulin-like growth factor-I does not substantially increase the BrdU labeling of OL-1 cells, these data collectively indicate that Insulin-like growth factor-I increases OL-1 cell number predominately by promoting survival, rather than stimulating proliferation. This non-immortalized oligodendrocyte precursor cell line, therefore, exhibits behavior consistent with the in vivo development of oligodendrocytes and provides an excellent model for the study of developing oligodendrocytes

PTEN Deficiency Mediates a Reciprocal Response to IGFI and mTOR Inhibition

Recent evidence implicates the insulin-like growth factor (IGF) pathway in development of Ewing Sarcoma, a highly malignant bone and soft tissue tumor that primarily affects children and young adults. Despite promising results from preclinical studies of therapies that target this pathway, early phase clinical trials have shown that a significant fraction of patients do not benefit, suggesting that cellular factors determine tumor sensitivity. Using FAIRE-seq, a chromosomal deletion of the PTEN locus in a Ewing sarcoma cell line was identified. In primary tumors PTEN deficiency was observed in a large subset of cases, although not mediated by large chromosomal deletions. PTEN loss resulted in hyper-activation of the AKT signaling pathway. PTEN rescue led to decreased proliferation, inhibition of colony formation, and increased apoptosis. Strikingly, PTEN loss decreased sensitivity to IGF-1R inhibitors but increased responsiveness to temsirolimus, a potent mTOR inhibitor, as marked by induction of autophagy. These results suggest that PTEN is lost in a significant fraction of primary tumors and this deficiency may have therapeutic consequences by concurrently attenuating responsiveness to IGF-1R inhibition while increasing activity of mTOR inhibitors. The identification of PTEN status in the tumors of patients with recurrent disease could help guide the selection of therapies

Valproic acid reduces the tolerability of temsirolimus in children and adolescents with solid tumors

A pediatric study has established a maximum tolerated dose (MTD) for temsirolimus (Tem) of more than 150 mg/m2 IV/week. A phase I trial was conducted to establish the MTD for Tem in combination with valproic acid (VPA) in children and adolescents with refractory solid tumors. Secondary aims included expression of mTOR markers on archival tumor tissue; Tem pharmacokinetics (PK); assessment of histone acetylation (HA); and tumor response

Evidence that pretranslational and translational defects decrease serum insulin-like growth factor-I concentrations during dietary protein restriction.

Dietary protein restriction causes GH resistance and decreases serum insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) concentrations. To determine whether pretranslational or translational defects are involved in the decline of serum IGF-I concentrations during protein restriction, we measured hepatic IGF-I mRNA abundance together with the serum IGF-I peptide response to exogenous GH after 1 week of protein restriction (5% casein in diet; P5) in hypophysectomized rats. We compared these responses with those of hypophysectomized rats fed a protein-sufficient diet (15% casein in diet; P15) and given exogenous GH. A single injection of rat GH (200 micrograms/100 g BW) produced a comparable IGF-I mRNA increment in both groups (at 6 h, 7.8 +/- 1.1 arbitrary units in P5 vs. 8.2 +/- 1.1 in P15), but failed to raise serum IGF-I normally in the P5 group (at 6 h, 90 +/- 15 ng/ml in P5 vs. 216 +/- 63 in P15; P less than 0.01). The post-GH decline of the 7.5-kilobase (kb) IGF-I mRNA abundance was faster in P5 than in P15 animals. In another experiment in intact rats subjected to protein restriction, injections of pharmacological doses of rat GH (400 micrograms/100 g BW.day) for 1 week restored liver IGF-I mRNA abundance to normal without normalization of serum IGF-I (403 +/- 91 vs. 713 +/- 53 ng/ml; P less than 0.01). Our data suggest that 1) the machinery involved in the transcription of the liver IGF-I gene is intact in protein-restricted rats, because these animals retain the ability to muster normal IGF-I mRNA responses to high doses of exogenous GH; 2) the stability of the 7.5-kb IGF-I mRNA is probably decreased by the protein restriction, as suggested by the faster decline of the 7.5-kb transcript in P5 than in P15 hypophysectomized rats; and 3) the discrepancy between normal liver IGF-I mRNA abundance and low serum and liver IGF-I peptide concentrations suggests that translational stalling of the IGF-I mRNAs or increased serum IGF-I clearance is involved in the low serum IGF-I concentrations during dietary protein restriction

Valproic acid reduces the tolerability of temsirolimus in children and adolescents with solid tumors

A pediatric study has established a maximum tolerated dose (MTD) for temsirolimus (Tem) of more than 150 mg/m2 IV/week. A phase I trial was conducted to establish the MTD for Tem in combination with valproic acid (VPA) in children and adolescents with refractory solid tumors. Secondary aims included expression of mTOR markers on archival tumor tissue; Tem pharmacokinetics (PK); assessment of histone acetylation (HA); and tumor response