Inhibiting Lactate Dehydrogenase A Enhances the Cytotoxicity of the Mitochondria Accumulating Antioxidant, Mitoquinone, in Melanoma Cells

Limited options exist for inhibitors targeted against melanoma tumors with mutation subtypes other than BRAF. We investigated the cytotoxic activity of mitoquinone (MitoQ), an antioxidant and ubiquinone derivative, on various human melanoma cell lines, alone or in combination with other agents to perturb cellular bioenergetics. This lipophilic cation crosses the cell membrane, enters and accumulates in the mitochondria where it can disrupt mitochondrial function at micromolar concentrations or act as an antioxidant to preserve membrane integrity at nanomolar concentrations. Consistent with previous studies, cells treated with 12.5 μM MitoQ show significantly reduced viability versus control treatments. Although all melanoma cells were susceptible to cytotoxicity induced by MitoQ, cells with wild-type BRAF were responsive to lower doses, compared to cells with activating mutations in BRAF. Mechanistically, the positively charged lipophilic moiety of the MitoQ induced a dose-dependent collapse of the mitochondrial membrane potential (Δψm) and significantly reduced the mitochondrial ATP production and reduced oxygen consumption rate, suggesting mitochondrial dysfunction. We also combined MitoQ with a glycolytic lactate dehydrogenase A inhibitor (FX-11) and observed an enhanced reduction in viability, but not other therapies examined. To summarize, the data suggest that FX-11 enhances the cytotoxic effects of MitoQ in cells with wild-type BRAF

Regulators of G-Protein signaling RGS10 and RGS17 regulate chemoresistance in ovarian cancer cells

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>A critical therapeutic challenge in epithelial ovarian carcinoma is the development of chemoresistance among tumor cells following exposure to first line chemotherapeutics. The molecular and genetic changes that drive the development of chemoresistance are unknown, and this lack of mechanistic insight is a major obstacle in preventing and predicting the occurrence of refractory disease. We have recently shown that Regulators of G-protein Signaling (RGS) proteins negatively regulate signaling by lysophosphatidic acid (LPA), a growth factor elevated in malignant ascites fluid that triggers oncogenic growth and survival signaling in ovarian cancer cells. The goal of this study was to determine the role of RGS protein expression in ovarian cancer chemoresistance.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>In this study, we find that RGS2, RGS5, RGS10 and RGS17 transcripts are expressed at significantly lower levels in cells resistant to chemotherapy compared with parental, chemo-sensitive cells in gene expression datasets of multiple models of chemoresistance. Further, exposure of SKOV-3 cells to cytotoxic chemotherapy causes acute, persistent downregulation of RGS10 and RGS17 transcript expression. Direct inhibition of RGS10 or RGS17 expression using siRNA knock-down significantly reduces chemotherapy-induced cell toxicity. The effects of cisplatin, vincristine, and docetaxel are inhibited following RGS10 and RGS17 knock-down in cell viability assays and phosphatidyl serine externalization assays in SKOV-3 cells and MDR-HeyA8 cells. We further show that AKT activation is higher following RGS10 knock-down and RGS 10 and RGS17 overexpression blocked LPA mediated activation of AKT, suggesting that RGS proteins may blunt AKT survival pathways.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Taken together, our data suggest that chemotherapy exposure triggers loss of RGS10 and RGS17 expression in ovarian cancer cells, and that loss of expression contributes to the development of chemoresistance, possibly through amplification of endogenous AKT signals. Our results establish RGS10 and RGS17 as novel regulators of cell survival and chemoresistance in ovarian cancer cells and suggest that their reduced expression may be diagnostic of chemoresistance.</p

Lysophosphatidic Acid-Induced Transcriptional Profile Represents Serous Epithelial Ovarian Carcinoma and Worsened Prognosis

BACKGROUND:Lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) governs a number of physiologic and pathophysiological processes. Malignant ascites fluid is rich in LPA, and LPA receptors are aberrantly expressed by ovarian cancer cells, implicating LPA in the initiation and progression of ovarian cancer. However, there is an absence of systematic data critically analyzing the transcriptional changes induced by LPA in ovarian cancer. METHODOLOGY AND PRINCIPAL FINDINGS:In this study, gene expression profiling was used to examine LPA-mediated transcription by exogenously adding LPA to human epithelial ovarian cancer cells for 24 h to mimic long-term stimulation in the tumor microenvironment. The resultant transcriptional profile comprised a 39-gene signature that closely correlated to serous epithelial ovarian carcinoma. Hierarchical clustering of ovarian cancer patient specimens demonstrated that the signature is associated with worsened prognosis. Patients with LPA-signature-positive ovarian tumors have reduced disease-specific and progression-free survival times. They have a higher frequency of stage IIIc serous carcinoma and a greater proportion is deceased. Among the 39-gene signature, a group of seven genes associated with cell adhesion recapitulated the results. Out of those seven, claudin-1, an adhesion molecule and phenotypic epithelial marker, is the only independent biomarker of serous epithelial ovarian carcinoma. Knockdown of claudin-1 expression in ovarian cancer cells reduces LPA-mediated cellular adhesion, enhances suspended cells and reduces LPA-mediated migration. CONCLUSIONS:The data suggest that transcriptional events mediated by LPA in the tumor microenvironment influence tumor progression through modulation of cell adhesion molecules like claudin-1 and, for the first time, report an LPA-mediated expression signature in ovarian cancer that predicts a worse prognosis

Targeting melanoma growth and viability reveals dualistic functionality of the phosphonothionate analogue of carba cyclic phosphatidic acid

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Although the incidence of melanoma in the U.S. is rising faster than any other cancer, the FDA-approved chemotherapies lack efficacy for advanced disease, which results in poor overall survival. Lysophosphatidic acid (LPA), autotaxin (ATX), the enzyme that produces LPA, and the LPA receptors represent an emerging group of therapeutic targets in cancer, although it is not known which of these is most effective.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Herein we demonstrate that thio-ccPA 18:1, a stabilized phosphonothionate analogue of carba cyclic phosphatidic acid, ATX inhibitor and LPA1/3 receptor antagonist, induced a marked reduction in the viability of B16F10 metastatic melanoma cells compared with PBS-treated control by 80-100%. Exogenous LPA 18:1 or D-sn-1-O-oleoyl-2-O-methylglyceryl-3-phosphothioate did not reverse the effect of thio-ccPA 18:1. The reduction in viability mediated by thio-ccPA 18:1 was also observed in A375 and MeWo melanoma cell lines, suggesting that the effects are generalizable. Interestingly, siRNA to LPA3 (siLPA3) but not other LPA receptors recapitulated the effects of thio-ccPA 18:1 on viability, suggesting that inhibition of the LPA3 receptor is an important dualistic function of the compound. In addition, siLPA3 reduced proliferation, plasma membrane integrity and altered morphology of A375 cells. Another experimental compound designed to antagonize the LPA1/3 receptors significantly reduced viability in MeWo cells, which predominantly express the LPA3 receptor.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Thus the ability of thio-ccPA 18:1 to inhibit the LPA3 receptor and ATX are key to its molecular mechanism, particularly in melanoma cells that predominantly express the LPA3 receptor. These observations necessitate further exploration and exploitation of these targets in melanoma.</p

Expression of Autotaxin and Lysophosphatidic Acid Receptors Increases Mammary Tumorigenesis, Invasion, and Metastases

Lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) acts through high affinity G protein-coupled receptors to mediate a plethora of physiological and pathological activities associated with tumorigenesis. LPA receptors and autotaxin (ATX/LysoPLD), the primary enzyme producing LPA, are aberrantly expressed in multiple cancer lineages. However, the role of ATX and LPA receptors in the initiation and progression of breast cancer has not been evaluated. We demonstrate that expression of ATX or each Edg-family LPA receptor in mammary epithelium of transgenic mice is sufficient to induce a high frequency of late-onset, estrogen receptor (ER) positive, invasive and metastatic mammary cancer. Thus ATX and LPA receptors can contribute to the initiation and progression of breast cancer

Expression of Autotaxin and Lysophosphatidic Acid Receptors Increases Mammary Tumorigenesis, Invasion, and Metastases

Lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) acts through high affinity G protein-coupled receptors to mediate a plethora of physiological and pathological activities associated with tumorigenesis. LPA receptors and autotaxin (ATX/LysoPLD), the primary enzyme producing LPA, are aberrantly expressed in multiple cancer lineages. However, the role of ATX and LPA receptors in the initiation and progression of breast cancer has not been evaluated. We demonstrate that expression of ATX or each Edg-family LPA receptor in mammary epithelium of transgenic mice is sufficient to induce a high frequency of late-onset, estrogen receptor (ER) positive, invasive and metastatic mammary cancer. Thus ATX and LPA receptors can contribute to the initiation and progression of breast cancer

MicroRNA Regulation of the Autotaxin-Lysophosphatidic Acid Signaling Axis

The revelation that microRNAs (miRNAs) exist within the human genome uncovered an underappreciated mechanism of gene expression. For cells to regulate expression of their genes, miRNA molecules and argonaute proteins bind to mRNAs and interfere with efficient translation of the RNA transcript. Although miRNAs have important roles in normal tissues, miRNAs may adopt aberrant functions in malignant cells depending on their classification as either a tumor suppressor or oncogenic miRNA. Within this review, the current status of miRNA regulation is described in the context of signaling through the lysophosphatidic acid receptors, including the lysophosphatidic acid-producing enzyme, autotaxin. Thus far, research has revealed miRNAs that increase in response to lysophosphatidic acid stimulation, such as miR-21, miR-30c-2-3p, and miR-122. Other miRNAs inhibit the translation of lysophosphatidic acid receptors, such as miR-15b, miR-23a, and miR200c, or proteins that are downstream of lysophosphatidic acid signaling, such as miR-146 and miR-21. With thousands of miRNAs still uncharacterized, it is anticipated that the complex regulation of lysophosphatidic acid signaling by miRNAs will continue to be elucidated. RNA-based therapeutics have entered the clinic with enormous potential in precision medicine. This exciting field is rapidly emerging and it will be fascinating to witness its expansion in scope

A characterization of the human G protein-coupled receptor, lysophosphatidic acid1 : its intracellular trafficking and signaling consequences on the tumor suppressor, P53

Lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) is a mitogenic lipid that enhances cell growth, proliferation and motility through binding and activation of at least four receptors, LPA1/Edg2, LPA2/Edg4, LPA3/Edg7, and PPAR and #947;. Here, we show that LPA stimulation inhibits the cell cycle regulator and tumor suppressor, p53. Ten M LPA reduced the cellular levels of total p53 and p53 phosphorylated at serine 15 by approximately 50% in A549 cells and this effect was sustained for at least 6 h. This resulted in a corresponding decrease in p53-mediated transcription. Transient-transfection of the Edg-family LPA receptors, LPA1-3 in HepG2 cells, which do not respond to LPA, also showed this inhibitory response. The response was specific to LPA receptors since neither Gi-coupled M2 muscarinic acetylcholine receptors, nor a mutant LPA1 receptor (LPA1 R124A), which is unable to bind LPA, inhibited p53 activity. Both transient-transfection of the LPA-degrading lipid phosphate phosphatase-1 (LPP-1), or exogenous addition of phospholipase B, which decreases exogenous lysophosphatidate, reversed the LPA receptor-induced decrease in p53-mediated transcription. Although pertussis toxin did not prevent the inhibition of p53, a mutant LPA1 receptor (LPA1 and #8710;361), which lacks the C-terminal PDZ-binding domain, failed to inhibit p53 function. This establishes LPA-mediated inhibition of p53 function requires an interaction with PDZ-containing proteins. These data establish a novel role for LPA-mediated receptor activation in diminishing p53 activity; which, in addition to LPAs well-characterized effects on growth-promoting signaling pathways, is likely to contribute to the survival and proliferation of cancer cells. Of the Edg-family LPA receptors, the LPA1 receptor is the most widely expressed. In the next study, we investigated the agonist-induced endocytosis of the human LPA1 receptor, bearing an N-terminal FLAG epitope tag, in stably transfected HeLa cells. LPA treatment induced the rapid endocytosis of approximately 40% of surface LPA1 within 15 minutes. Internalization was dose dependent and LPA specific since neither lysophophatidylcholine nor sphingosine-1-phosphate induced LPA1 endocytosis. Removing agonist following incubation resulted in LPA1 recycling back to the surface. LPA1 internalization was strongly inhibited by dominant-inhibitory mutants of both dynamin2 (K44A) and Rab5a (S34N). Finally, our results indicate that LPA1 exhibits basal, LPA-dependent internalization in the presence of serum-containing medium.Ph.D.Committee Chair: Radhakrishna, Harish; Committee Member: Kubanek, Julia; Committee Member: McCarty, Nael; Committee Member: Merrill, Alfred; Committee Member: Mills, Gordo