Differential effects of the oncogenic BRAF inhibitor PLX4032 (vemurafenib) and its progenitor PLX4720 on ABCB1 function

PURPOSE: The clinically approved oncogenic BRAF inhibitor PLX4032 (vemurafenib) was shown to be a substrate of the ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporter ABCB1. Here, we compared PLX4032 and its structurally closely related precursor compound PLX4720 for their interference with ABCB1 and the ABCB1-mediated compound transport using docking and cell culture experiments. METHODS: For the docking study of PLX4032 and PLX4720 with ABCB1, we analysed binding of both compounds to mouse Abcb1a and to human ABCB1 using a homology model of human ABCB1 based on the 3D structure of Abcb1a. Naturally ABCB1 expressing cells including V600E BRAF-mutated and BRAF wild-type melanoma cells and cells transduced with a lentiviral vector encoding for ABCB1 were used as cell culture models. ABCB1 expression and function were studied by the use of fluorescent and cytotoxic ABCB1 substrates in combination with ABCB1 inhibitors. RESULTS: Docking experiments predicted PLX4032 to interact stronger with ABCB1 than PLX4720. Experimental studies using different cellular models and structurally different ABCB1 substrates confirmed that PLX4032 interfered stronger with ABCB1 function than PLX4720. For example, PLX4032 (20μM) induced a 4-fold enhanced rhodamine 123 accumulation compared to PLX4720 (20μM) in ABCB1-transduced UKF-NB-3 cells and reduced the IC50 for the cytotoxic ABCB1 substrate vincristine in this model by 21-fold in contrast to a 9-fold decrease induced by PLX4720. CONCLUSIONS: PLX4032 exerted stronger effects on ABCB1-mediated drug transport than PLX4720. This indicates that small changes in a molecule can substantially modify its interaction with ABCB1, a promiscuous transporter that transports structurally different compounds

Effects of YM155 on survivin levels and viability in neuroblastoma cells with acquired drug resistance

Resistance formation after initial therapy response (acquired resistance) is common in high-risk neuroblastoma patients. YM155 is a drug candidate that was introduced as a survivin suppressant. This mechanism was later challenged, and DNA damage induction and Mcl-1 depletion were suggested instead. Here we investigated the efficacy and mechanism of action of YM155 in neuroblastoma cells with acquired drug resistance. The efficacy of YM155 was determined in neuroblastoma cell lines and their sublines with acquired resistance to clinically relevant drugs. Survivin levels, Mcl-1 levels, and DNA damage formation were determined in response to YM155. RNAi-mediated depletion of survivin, Mcl-1, and p53 was performed to investigate their roles during YM155 treatment. Clinical YM155 concentrations affected the viability of drug-resistant neuroblastoma cells through survivin depletion and p53 activation. MDM2 inhibitor-induced p53 activation further enhanced YM155 activity. Loss of p53 function generally affected anti-neuroblastoma approaches targeting survivin. Upregulation of ABCB1 (causes YM155 efflux) and downregulation of SLC35F2 (causes YM155 uptake) mediated YM155-specific resistance. YM155-adapted cells displayed increased ABCB1 levels, decreased SLC35F2 levels, and a p53 mutation. YM155-adapted neuroblastoma cells were also characterized by decreased sensitivity to RNAi-mediated survivin depletion, further confirming survivin as a critical YM155 target in neuroblastoma. In conclusion, YM155 targets survivin in neuroblastoma. Furthermore, survivin is a promising therapeutic target for p53 wild-type neuroblastomas after resistance acquisition (neuroblastomas are rarely p53-mutated), potentially in combination with p53 activators. In addition, we show that the adaptation of cancer cells to molecular-targeted anticancer drugs is an effective strategy to elucidate a drug's mechanism of action

Intact-Cell MALDI-ToF Mass Spectrometry for the Authentication of Drug-Adapted Cancer Cell Lines

The use of cell lines in research can be affected by cell line misidentification. Short tandem repeat (STR) analysis is an effective method, and the gold standard, for the identification of the genetic origin of a cell line, but methods that allow the discrimination between cell lines of the same genetic origin are lacking. Here, we use intact cell MALDI-ToF mass spectrometry analysis, routinely used for the identification of bacteria in clinical diagnostic procedures, for the authentication of a set of cell lines consisting of three parental neuroblastoma cell lines (IMR-5, IMR-32 and UKF-NB-3) and eleven drug-adapted sublines. Principal component analysis (PCA) of intact-cell MALDI-ToF mass spectrometry data revealed clear differences between most, but not all, of the investigated cell lines. Mass spectrometry whole-cell fingerprints enabled the separation of IMR-32 and its clonal subline IMR-5. Sublines that had been adapted to closely related drugs, for example, the cisplatin- and oxaliplatin-resistant UKF-NB-3 sublines and the vincristine- and vinblastine-adapted IMR-5 sublines, also displayed clearly distinctive patterns. In conclusion, intact whole-cell MALDI-ToF mass spectrometry has the potential to be further developed into an authentication method for mammalian cells of a common genetic origin

Human cytomegalovirus infection in tumor cells of the nervous system is not detectable with standardized pathologico-virological diagnostics.

BACKGROUND Experimental findings have suggested that human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) infection of tumor cells may exert oncomodulatory effects that enhance tumor malignancy. However, controversial findings have been published on the presence of HCMV in malignant tumors. Here, we present the first study that systematically investigates HCMV infection in human nervous system tumors by highly sensitive immunohistochemistry in correlation with the HCMV serostatus of the patients. METHODS Immunohistochemical and quantitative PCR-based methods to detect different HCMV antigens and genomic HCMV DNA were optimized prior to the investigation of pathological samples. Moreover, the pathological results were matched with the HCMV serostatus of the patients. RESULTS HCMV immediate-early, late, and pp65 antigens could be detected in single cells from HCMV strain Hi91-infected UKF-NB-4 neuroblastoma cells after 1:1024 dilution with noninfected UKF-NB-4 cells. Genomic HCMV DNA could be detected in copy numbers as low as 430 copies/mL. However, we did not detect HCMV in tumors from a cohort of 123 glioblastoma, medulloblastoma, or neuroblastoma patients. Notably, we detected nonspecifically positive staining in tumor tissues of HCMV seropositive and seronegative glioblastoma patients. The HCMV serostatus of 67 glioblastoma patients matched the general epidemiological prevalence data for Western countries (72% of female and 57% of male glioblastoma patients were HCMV seropositive). Median survival was not significantly different in HCMV seropositive versus seronegative glioblastoma patients. CONCLUSIONS The prevalence of HCMV-infected tumor cells may be much lower than previously reported based on highly sensitive detection methods

High-risk human papillomavirus (HPV) screening and detection in healthy patient saliva samples: a pilot study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The human papillomaviruses (HPV) are a large family of non-enveloped DNA viruses, mainly associated with cervical cancers. Recent epidemiologic evidence has suggested that HPV may be an independent risk factor for oropharyngeal cancers. Evidence now suggests HPV may modulate the malignancy process in some tobacco- and alcohol-induced oropharynx tumors, but might also be the primary oncogenic factor for inducing carcinogenesis among some non-smokers. More evidence, however, is needed regarding oral HPV prevalence among healthy adults to estimate risk. The goal of this study was to perform an HPV screening of normal healthy adults to assess oral HPV prevalence.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Healthy adult patients at a US dental school were selected to participate in this pilot study. DNA was isolated from saliva samples and screened for high-risk HPV strains HPV16 and HPV18 and further processed using qPCR for quantification and to confirm analytical sensitivity and specificity.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Chi-square analysis revealed the patient sample was representative of the general clinic population with respect to gender, race and age (<it>p </it>< 0.05). Four patient samples were found to harbor HPV16 DNA, representing 2.6% of the total (n = 151). Three of the four HPV16-positive samples were from patients under 65 years of age and all four were female and Hispanic (non-White). No samples tested positive for HPV18.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The successful recruitment and screening of healthy adult patients revealed HPV16, but not HPV18, was present in a small subset. These results provide new information about oral HPV status, which may help to contextualize results from other studies that demonstrate oral cancer rates have risen in the US among both females and minorities and in some geographic areas that are not solely explained by rates of tobacco and alcohol use. The results of this study may be of significant value to further our understanding of oral health and disease risk, as well as to help design future studies exploring the role of other factors that influence oral HPV exposure, as well as the short- and long-term consequences of oral HPV infection.</p

Pinch plasmas as intense X-ray sources for laboratory applications

Pinch plasma x-ray sources have been developed for x-ray lithography and x-ray microscopy. The lithography source is compatible with the electron storage ring printing process with respect to spectrum and enables full depth exposures in 1 Mym thick 60 mJ/square centimetre sensitivity resist at sub 0.2 Mym resolution within 10 minutes. The source for microscopy applications provides flash imaging of biological specimen with suboptical resolution (0.1 Mym - 0.2 Mym) at nanosecond exposure time

Time-resolved in-situ investigation of Co-nitride thin film growth by grazing incidence X-ray absorption spectroscopy

The growth of cobalt nitride thin films prepared by reactive sputtering on float glass substrates was in-situ investigated using surface sensitive, grazing incidence X-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy. Time-resolved measurements employing a quick-scanning monochromator allow to follow the growth on time-scales of a few seconds per spectrum, so that the film growth could be studied in detail. A quantitative modeling of the obtained data clearly show that a zinc blende type CoN is formed already during the initial stages of film growth, and the formation of small crystalline clusters finally lead to a 3D-growth of polycrystalline CoN-films