Binase induces apoptosis of transformed myeloid cells and does not induce T-cell immune response

Microbial RNases along with such animal RNases as onconase and BS-RNase are a promising basis for developing new antitumor drugs. We have shown that the Bacillus intermedius RNase (binase) induces selective apoptosis of transformed myeloid cells. It attacks artificially expressing activated c-Kit myeloid progenitor FDC cells and chronic myelogenous leukemia cells K562. Binase did not induce apoptosis in leukocytes of healthy donors and in normal myeloid progenitor cells. The inability of binase to initiate expression of activation markers CD69 and IFN-γ in CD4+ and CD8+ T-lymphocytes testifies that enzyme is devoid of superantigenic properties. Altogether, these results demonstrate that binase possesses therapeutic opportunities for treatment of genotyped human neoplasms expressing activated kit. © 2007 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved

Friends-Enemies: Endogenous Retroviruses Are Major Transcriptional Regulators of Human DNA

Endogenous retroviruses are mobile genetic elements hardly distinguishable from infectious, or “exogenous,” retroviruses at the time of insertion in the host DNA. Human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs) are not rare. They gave rise to multiple families of closely related mobile elements that occupy ~8% of the human genome. Together, they shape genomic regulatory landscape by providing at least ~320,000 human transcription factor binding sites (TFBS) located on ~110,000 individual HERV elements. The HERVs host as many as 155,000 mapped DNaseI hypersensitivity sites, which denote loci active in the regulation of gene expression or chromatin structure. The contemporary view of the HERVs evolutionary dynamics suggests that at the early stages after insertion, the HERV is treated by the host cells as a foreign genetic element, and is likely to be suppressed by the targeted methylation and mutations. However, at the later stages, when significant number of mutations has been already accumulated and when the retroviral genes are broken, the regulatory potential of a HERV may be released and recruited to modify the genomic balance of transcription factor binding sites. This process goes together with further accumulation and selection of mutations, which reshape the regulatory landscape of the human DNA. However, developmental reprogramming, stress or pathological conditions like cancer, inflammation and infectious diseases, can remove the blocks limiting expression and HERV-mediated host gene regulation. This, in turn, can dramatically alter the gene expression equilibrium and shift it to a newer state, thus further amplifying instability and exacerbating the stressful situation

Oncogenic c-kit transcript is a target for binase

Mutational activation of c-Kit receptor tyrosine kinase is common in acute myelogenous leukemia. One such activating point mutation is the N822K replacement in the c-Kit protein. Here we investigate the selective cytotoxic effect of binase - RNase from Bacillus intermedius - on FDC-P1-N822K cells. These cells were derived from myeloid progenitor FDC-P1 cells, in which ectopic expression of N822K c-kit gene induces interleukin-3 independent growth. In order to determine whether the sensitivity of these cells to binase is caused by the expression of c-kit oncogene, the cytotoxicity of the RNase was studied in the presence of selective inhibitor of mutated c-Kit imatinib (Gleevec). Inhibition of mutated c-Kit protein leads to the loss of cell sensitivity to the apoptotic effect of binase, while the latter still decreases the amount of cellular RNA. Using green fluorescent protein as an expression marker for the c-Kit oncoprotein, we demonstrate that the elimination of c-Kit is the key factor in selective cytotoxicity of binase. Quantitative RT-PCR with RNA samples isolated from the binase-treated FDC-P1-N822K cells shows that binase treatment results in 41% reduction in the amount of c-kit mRNA. this indicates that the transcript of the activated mutant c-kit is the target for toxic action of binase. Thus, the combination of inhibition of oncogenic protein with the destruction of its mRNA is a promising approach to eliminating malignant cells. © 2010 Landes Bioscience

Cysteine residues 244 and 458-459 within the catalytic subunit of Na,K-ATPase control the enzyme's hydrolytic and signaling function under hypoxic conditions

Our previous findings suggested that reversible thiol modifications of cysteine residues within the actuator (AD) and nucleotide binding domain (NBD) of the Na,K-ATPase may represent a powerful regulatory mechanism conveying redox- and oxygen-sensitivity of this multifunctional enzyme. S-glutathionylation of Cys244 in the AD and Cys 454-458-459 in the NBD inhibited the enzyme and protected cysteines' thiol groups from irreversible oxidation under hypoxic conditions. In this study mutagenesis approach was used to assess the role these cysteines play in regulation of the Na,K-ATPase hydrolytic and signaling functions. Several constructs of mouse α1 subunit of the Na,K-ATPase were produced in which Cys244, Cys 454-458-459 or Cys 244-454-458-459 were replaced by alanine. These constructs were expressed in human HEK293 cells. Non-transfected cells and those expressing murine α1 subunit were exposed to hypoxia or treated with oxidized glutathione (GSSG). Both conditions induced inhibition of the wild type Na,K-ATPase. Enzymes containing mutated mouse α1 lacking Cys244 or all four cysteines (Cys 244-454-458-459) were insensitive to hypoxia. Inhibitory effect of GSSG was observed for wild type murine Na,K-ATPase, but was less pronounced in Cys454-458-459Ala mutant and completely absent in the Cys244Ala and Cys 244-454-458-459Ala mutants. In cells, expressing wild type enzyme, ouabain induced activation of Src and Erk kinases under normoxic conditions, whereas under hypoxic conditions this effect was inversed. Cys454-458-459Ala substitution abolished Src kinase activation in response to ouabain treatment, uncoupled Src from Erk signaling, and interfered with O2-sensitivity of Na,K-ATPase signaling function. Moreover, modeling predicted that S-glutathionylation of Cys 458 and 459 should prevent inhibitory binding of Src to NBD. Our data indicate for the first time that cysteine residues within the AD and NBD influence hydrolytic as well as receptor function of the Na,K-ATPase and alter responses of the enzyme to hypoxia or upon treatment with cardiotonic steroids

Cellular Barcoding Identifies Clonal Substitution as a Hallmark of Local Recurrence in a Surgical Model of Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Local recurrence after surgery for head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) remains a common event associated with a dismal prognosis. Improving this outcome requires a better understanding of cancer cell populations that expand from postsurgical minimal residual disease (MRD). Therefore, we assessed clonal dynamics in a surgical model of barcoded HNSCC growing in the submental region of immunodeficient mice. Clonal substitution and massive reduction of clonal heterogeneity emerged as hallmarks of local recurrence, as the clones dominating in less heterogeneous recurrences were scarce in their matched primary tumors. These lineages were selected by their ability to persist after surgery and competitively expand from MRD. Clones enriched in recurrences exhibited both private and shared genetic features and likely originated from ancestors shared with clones dominating in primary tumors. They demonstrated high invasiveness and epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition, eventually providing an attractive target for obtaining better local control for these tumors

Genomic Fossils Calibrate the Long-Term Evolution of Hepadnaviruses

Ancient hepadnavirus sequences found in bird genomes reveal that this family of viruses, which includes the human hepatitis B virus, is much older than previously thought

Heterologous Replacement of the Supposed Host Determining Region of Avihepadnaviruses: High In Vivo Infectivity Despite Low Infectivity for Hepatocytes

Hepadnaviruses, including hepatitis B virus (HBV), a highly relevant human pathogen, are small enveloped DNA viruses that replicate via reverse transcription. All hepadnaviruses display a narrow tissue and host tropism. For HBV, this restricts efficient experimental in vivo infection to chimpanzees. While the cellular factors mediating infection are largely unknown, the large viral envelope protein (L) plays a pivotal role for infectivity. Furthermore, certain segments of the PreS domain of L from duck HBV (DHBV) enhanced infectivity for cultured duck hepatocytes of pseudotyped heron HBV (HHBV), a virus unable to infect ducks in vivo. This implied a crucial role for the PreS sequence from amino acid 22 to 90 in the duck tropism of DHBV. Reasoning that reciprocal replacements would reduce infectivity for ducks, we generated spreading-competent chimeric DHBVs with L proteins in which segments 22–90 (Du-He4) or its subsegments 22–37 and 37–90 (Du-He2, Du-He3) are derived from HHBV. Infectivity for duck hepatocytes of Du-He4 and Du-He3, though not Du-He2, was indeed clearly reduced compared to wild-type DHBV. Surprisingly, however, in ducks even Du-He4 caused high-titered, persistent, horizontally and vertically transmissable infections, with kinetics of viral spread similar to those of DHBV when inoculated at doses of 108 viral genome equivalents (vge) per animal. Low-dose infections down to 300 vge per duck did not reveal a significant reduction in specific infectivity of the chimera. Hence, sequence alterations in PreS that limited infectivity in vitro did not do so in vivo. These data reveal a much more complex correlation between PreS sequence and host specificity than might have been anticipated; more generally, they question the value of cultured hepatocytes for reliably predicting in vivo infectivity of avian and, by inference, mammalian hepadnaviruses, with potential implications for the risk assessment of vaccine and drug resistant HBV variants

Coordinated interaction of multifunctional members of the p53 family determines many key processes in multicellular organisms

For the first time, p53 was found in complex with the viral large T-antigen in cells transformed with the small DNA virus SV40. p53 cDNA was cloned in the early 1980s, and the full-length p53 gene was cloned soon afterwards. The p53 family is comprised of three genes—TP53, TP63, and TP73—each of which is expressed as a set of structurally and functionally different isoforms. All of them intensely interact with each other, forming a united functional network of proteins. The review discusses the evolution of the p53 family and the significance of all its members in embryo development, reproduction, regeneration, regulation of aging and lifespan, and defense against cancer. Special attention is paid to the role of poorly studied members of the p53 family, p63 and p73, in carcinogenesis and tumor progression. Different isoforms of these proteins might exert opposite effects on these processes

Binase induces apoptosis of transformed myeloid cells and does not induce T-cell immune response

Microbial RNases along with such animal RNases as onconase and BS-RNase are a promising basis for developing new antitumor drugs. We have shown that the Bacillus intermedius RNase (binase) induces selective apoptosis of transformed myeloid cells. It attacks artificially expressing activated c-Kit myeloid progenitor FDC cells and chronic myelogenous leukemia cells K562. Binase did not induce apoptosis in leukocytes of healthy donors and in normal myeloid progenitor cells. The inability of binase to initiate expression of activation markers CD69 and IFN-γ in CD4+ and CD8+ T-lymphocytes testifies that enzyme is devoid of superantigenic properties. Altogether, these results demonstrate that binase possesses therapeutic opportunities for treatment of genotyped human neoplasms expressing activated kit. © 2007 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved